On Sunday March 6th from 1-6 the Colonia Volunteer Fire Department hosted a fundraiser for the family. Food, prizes and money were all donated to the event and the firemen cooked Spaghetti and made salad.
On Saturday January 20, 2016, Colonia resident and father of a student, Keith DiGiuseppe passed away at the age of 50. DiGiuseppe was a resident of Colonia for 10 years and lived with his wife Lori, and daughter Nicole who is a Junior at Colonia High School. He was heavily involved in the Colonia Girls Softball League (CGSL) spending countless hours coaching and being the grounds manager for the fields. Along with that he also worked for the Woodbridge Township Road Repair Crew for the past 2 years.
The event received 70 donated baskets and the owner of JJ Bitting in Woodbridge, Mike Cerami, donated all the proceeds from the Chili Contest. The winner of the JJ Bitting Chili Cookoff, Collette Ellerman, donated her winnings as well. Members of the Central Jersey Cyclones softball team worked the event, passing out food, selling t-shirts and raffles. At the dinner t-shirts were being sold for $10 each and raffles for amazing prizes, and members of the Colonia Softball programs donated their time to help out with the event.
DiGiuseppe was proven to be an asset in the Colonia Girls Softball League, always caring about the girls and the condition of the fields. Due to privacy reasons the amount raised cannot be disclosed, but the event was successful in raising money for DiGiuseppe’s family.
“Keith’s contributions to Colonia Girls Softball were immeasurable. But beyond the physical contributions, Keith embodied the spirit of volunteerism and, in many ways, was the heart of CGSL. He never lost sight of the fact that it is a game and nothing made him happier than when he saw the kids enjoying themselves on the field. Keith cared deeply about all of the players from t-ball right up through the high school girls. Through our time at CGSL Keith became one of my best friends, but his smiling face and friendliness will be missed by anyone who had the pleasure of meeting him,” stated Matt Wright, Treasurer for the CGSL.
The event for DiGiuseppe was coordinated by Wright along with Owen O’Donnell, Teddy Markou and the Colonia VFW Men’s Auxiliary. Several of the VFW men performed cooking as well as transporting the food and supplies. The food was also donated by various vendors who knew DiGiuseppe.
Keith was an assistant coach for many years as well, not only for the CGSL, but also for the Central Jersey Cyclones travel program. During the high school softball season DiGiuseppe would always prepare the fields for games, and would be the first one there setting up everything and getting it ready for the girls to play. Along with helping the fields, DiGiuseppe gave his time to anyone that needed it. He would do renovations, handy man work and was even a great cook.
“He was really the heart and soul of everything that happened down at the Colonia Middle School fields. He cared deeply about our league and the kids in it. As recently a last spring, well after he no longer had a child in the league, he stepped up to manage a team of 1st and 2nd graders when we couldn’t get anyone else to do it. He will be missed by everyone who knew him and through his contributions by everyone that didn’t,” said friend of 8 years James Godfrey.
