By Mary Malloy
According to his father Jerome, Cangelosi went on the trip with a friend he had known since high school, renting a beach house in North Carolina. Cangelosi cut the trip short, driving back alone to attend a dinner with fellow lifeguards he worked with at Point O'Woods on Fire Island.
"He commuted to Lynbrook High School from our home in Sayville every morning," said his father Jerome. "He always left early. His aim was to be the first one at school. He was always ready, always prepared." He would sometimes carpool the 50-minute trip with his older brother Carl, 29, who is a social studies teacher and a varsity football assistant at Lynbrook South Middle School. "The boys used to work together as lifeguards," said Jerome. "Carl told Mitchell when there was a teaching job available at Lynbrook High School."
Cangelosi played football while a student at Sayville High School, although he had knee injuries that resulted in two surgeries during those years. He was in the school's first championship for the 1998-99 season, and was named defensive MVP for the title game."Football was a big part of his life," said Jerome. Cangelosi also enjoyed surfing, and along with his father and brother Carl tried the waves in Puerto Rico, and most recently in Mexico.
Cangelosi was also busy thinking about his future. He had planned to propose to his girlfriend Maureen Furci, whom he met while they both attended Sayville High School. He had already hired a plane that would trail a "Will you marry me?" banner, and was planning to surprise her during a beach outing with their parents. He also had purchased an engagement ring, which Cangelosi's family has since given to Furci. "I didn't know beforehand what he was going to do," said Furci. "but we had talked about marriage."
The family held his wake in Sayville, which was attended by many Lynbrook school teachers, students, and their parents. "It was touching to see that how, in just a year, he had that effect on people."
"It's clearly a tragedy," said Lynbrook Superintendent of Schools Dr. Philip Cicero, "especially with someone that young. The people who will miss him are also those who never got a chance to have him as a teacher."
According to Jerome, Cangelosi was looking forward to being an uncle for the first time. His brother Carl and his wife Liz are expecting their first baby soon. "He was close to his brother Carl and to Liz. It was going to be a big weekend, the marriage proposal, and telling Mitchell's grandfather he was going to be a great-grandfather - but now this."
Jerome wanted the Lynbrook community to know how much he appreciated their presence at the wake. "Our family would like to thank all of the people who came, called, or e-mailed. In our darkest days, it brought a little light."
Mitchell's enthusiasm for life and for his students is reflected on his school Web page "Welcome to Mr. Cangelosi's Earth Science Web Site." Along with a peaceful photograph of a sea landscape, he wrote at the bottom, "HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!! I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST OF LUCK IN THE FUTURE!!!!!!!!!!"
Comments about this story? MMalloy@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202
