Funeral services set for beloved football coach killed in Westchester Taconic crash
Violante was killed along with three other people when a van traveling southbound on the parkway in New Castle crossed the median Exits 8 and 9, then flipped over and burst into flames after colliding with Violante's Honda sedan that was traveling north in the left lane.
Violante's family, including father Frank and brothers Chris and Brian, were well-known athletes in the Westchester sports community.
Frank, also known as Skip, coached football for Westchester-area high schools since the 1970s, including Dobbs Ferry High School, Rye Neck High School and Somers High School.
Related: Police identify NJ, NY victims in fatal Taconic State Parkway crash in New Castle
Rob Violante was a star varsity quarterback and basketball player at Somers High School from 1994 to 1998. He attended Iona University, then Iona College, for a year and went on to play football as a quarterback for the University of Delaware Blue Hens, before graduating with a degree in Special Education at Mercy College in 2001.
'Rob was a phenomenal athlete. I'm not just saying it because he's my brother, he was one of the best athletes that ever came out of Somers High School," Brian said in an interview with the Journal News Thursday.
After his collegiate football journey. Violante went on to teach special education in Westchester and served as assistant football coach for Dobbs Ferry High School in the mid 2000s.
In 2011, he was hired at Bergenfield High School and stayed for 15 years, one of the longest-tenured head coaches in school history. He also coached track and field and held the position of Dean of Students before his death.
Brian, who teamed up to coach with Violante at Bergenfield for six years, said his brother was 'one of the most positive people' he'd ever been around.
'His positivity changes everything and always puts things into perspective,' Brian said. 'He always pushed those kids and his coaches to be the best that they can be.'
Brian said that while his brother didn't have children, he treated his students "like one of his own."
"He'd be there 24/7 for whatever they needed. He'd be there in the summertime to motivate them in their workouts and stuff like that. He did anything for those kids. He really did."
Violante was born in Yonkers but remained a lifelong resident of Somers until his death. He is survived by parents Frank and Martha, brothers Chris and Brian and girlfriend Dana Brescia.
However, Violante's family said that Rob's life revolved around his nephews Andrew, Cameron, Dylan and Jordan, and niece Natalie.
"He treated them with love and wanted to do everything he could to help them reach their potential and their dreams," said Chris. "Just an amazing uncle. Whether it's through text or showing up to work out with them in the backyard, even coming to their games and supporting them. He was a major asset in their lives."
Related: Bergenfield football coach, former Somers HS athlete Rob Violante killed in Taconic crash
Visitation services will be held at Cassidy-Flynn Funeral Directors in Mount Kisco on Tuesday, May 20 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
A Christian funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 21 at St. Patrick's Church in Yorktown Heights. Burial services will follow at St. Francis Cemetery in Mount Kisco.
The Violante family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the newly-created Rob Violante Memorial Scholarship for Bergenfield High School Students.
To donate, send a check made out to the Bergenfield Board of Education with the memo line: Rob Violante Memorial Scholarship.
Checks should be mailed to Matt McGrath at Bergenfield High School, 80 South Prospect Avenue, Bergenfield, NJ 07621.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Funeral services set for Rob Violante, star Somers athlete, NJ coach
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