
My Father Was Right
I don’t remember when but at some point in after the passing of a close friend my father said “the worst thing as you get older is you no more people who die.” It’s resonated with me as I get older and this past week it really hit home with the deaths of two people that I admired, respected and looked up to.
My first memory of Steve Healey was him throwing me off a lifeguard stand in Seaside Heights. He was as strong as an ox and I might have been around 13 or so and would often be invited to sit on a stand while my father hung out at headquarters. Steve tossed me like a rag doll on more than one occasion and many years later he would laugh when recounting the story.
He would go on to teach and coach football and track at Central Regional High School where he was beloved by his students and athletes. There he was best known for his track and field teams which had only one losing season in the 26 he ran the show. Many of his former athletes would go on to coach and often use his famous “Healeyisms” as a way to inspire and motivate. Appropriately the track was named in his honor a couple of years ago at the stadium name after his late father-in-law Joseph J. Boyd.
Steve was always about family, married to Jacqueline (Jacque) for 45 years…they had a son and four daughters, all of whom he got to walk down the aisle even while fighting cancer and they’ve been blessed with seven grandchildren.
Steve Healey was a throwback…a man who would have thrived in any era. His calling card was a handshake that immediately let you know he had the upper hand. When I think of him I will smile and remember that.
Denny D’Andrea was a man I first got to know through WOBM. He was a regular listener to my sports reports/shows and years later was responsible for me being inducted into the Jersey Shore Wrestling Hall of Fame. Denny was synonymous with wrestling and was the successful head coach at three schools but might be best remembered for the 20 years he spent as a loyal assistant to his good friend Tony Caravella as together they built a powerhouse at Brick Memorial.
Denny was a mentor to his students, many of whom had issues at home. On the low-down he helped many of them in a variety of ways and often paid for things they couldn’t. He never brought attention to this but he simply had a heart of gold when it came to kids. Even while he was dealing with painful arthritis and spinal issues he would call me regularly to see how I was feeling. The last of those calls came just a couple of days before Christmas. I answered the phone and as usual he opened with “KWilll, it’s Denny D.” He then went on to inquire about my health and when I asked about his I knew he was in pain and struggling but he steered the conversation in a different direction. I had no idea it would be the last time we would speak.
The wrestling community for which he was a fixture will get to pay their final respects to his wife Eileen and children Mickey and Kelsey on Sunday from 1pm to 5pm at Colonial Funeral Home in Brick.
No doubt my father was right…the worst part about getting older is knowing and losing more people who pass away.
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Gallery Credit: Sue Moll, Facebook
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