STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Funeral arrangements have been set for Rory DeCristoforo, the 6-year-old West Brighton girl hailed for her loving spirit who was killed in a house fire on New Year’s Day.
Rory, the daughter of the athletic director and head football coach at St. Peter’s Boys High School, succumbed to injuries sustained in a fire that destroyed her family’s home on Jan. 1, the Advance/SILive.com previously reported.
Visitation will be held on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Matthew Funeral Home, 2508 Victory Blvd. in Willowbrook. The funeral Mass will take place Saturday at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Good Counsel R.C. Church in Tompkinsville. Burial will be in St. Peter’s Cemetery in West Brighton.
Rory is survived by her father, Mark; mother, Meg; brothers, Bubba and Shane; and sister, Kali DeCristoforo.
COMMUNITY RALLIES AROUND FAMILY
A GoFundMe fundraiser set up by a family friend to support the DeCristoforos has blown past several of its initial goals. As of Thursday afternoon, over 7,000 people raised more than $650,000 toward the $750,000 goal.
St. Peter’s Boys High School and its combined parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel, St. Peter-St. Paul and Assumption will cover funeral and burial costs and provide catered food for the family for weeks, John Fodera, president of St. Peter’s said.
Rory’s father, Mark, is the athletic director and head football coach at the school.
Fodera said he anticipates that the high school and parish will host a memorial Mass in the future and will look for a dedication to commemorate the life of Rory. Roman Catholic high schools and elementary schools on the Island had reached out, offering help and support.
“This is such a tragic event,” Fodera said. “A tragedy of a house burning is something that is unfathomable to believe, but when a life is lost, there are no words.”
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NEW YEAR’S FIRE
On Jan. 1, approximately 60 firefighters and 12 units responded to the fire,…
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