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Friends and relatives are invited to remember Mike Devenio at the Nazare Memorial Home in Lyndhurst at 10 a.m. A Funeral Mass will follow at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in North Arlington.
Interment will be at Hillside Cemetery in Lyndhurst.
A smile creeps across Tom Polles’ face as he remembers his former Paramus Catholic High School football teammate.
“He was one of those guys that was always there when you needed motivation,” said Polles, who graduated with Devenio in 2010. “But he was also the first to help you celebrate your victories.”
One play in particular stands out for Polles.
“It was the third down and I was about to walk off the field,” Polles said. “I thought [Devenio] got tackled, but next thing you know he’s running for our first touchdown.”
Longtime friend Jonathan Jasinksi launched a GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses, which had raised more than $23,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.
“I remember Mike for the smile he had, and the personality only unique to him,” Jasinski told Daily Voice. “We are here for you and you will get us through this.”
Mike Devenio worked in car sales at Nissan in Hawthorne. He is survived by his mother and father, John and Mary De Venio; stepfather Nicholas De Gregorio; siblings Nicholas, John Jr. and Marissa De Venio; grandmother Mary J. De Venio; his girlfriend Samantha Spagnola; and a host of nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Susan G. Komen foundation in Summit.
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