August 18, 2003

     SOUTHINGTON -- More than six months after he passed away from a pulmonary embolism at age 47, Sam Forcucci’s family and friends continue to be touched by his affable personality and lifelong devotion to them.
     Forcucci’s legacy was on display this week as his widow Margie, his four children and longtime friends Jim and Barbara Pucci and Tom Foligno gathered in the family’s Southington home to recollect their favorite memories of Sam and describe how his spirit remains with them.
     They recounted how he never missed his children’s sporting events even while he was on dialysis treatment for a failing kidney, his unwillingness to work on Sundays so he could spend time with his family, his keen sense of humor, his propensity to pull out handwritten speeches during special occasions, as well as his strong religious faith that guided him to become active in youth group activities at Saint Dominic Church in Southington.
     "There was nothing typical about Sam," said Barbara Pucci. "His main focus was his family first. His wife and children were his world -- they were the heart and soul of his life."      Sam’s devotion to his family included a strong desire that all his children -- Amanda, 23, Adam, 19, Aaron, 15, and Andrew, 12 -- would be able to attend college and earn their degrees. That is a vision his friends and are now helping to make a reality.
     "Every time we had a gathering after Sam died," Jim Pucci said, "everybody wanted to ask what they could do to help out. Well, it was a dream of Sam’s that all his children be educated, and we thought setting up a fund could meet that dream."
     Pucci is counting on the establishment of the Forcucci Family Education Trust Fund to meet the family’s college education financial needs over the next 10 years as Adam, Aaron and Andrew attend college.
     Amanda earned her bachelor of science degree from Southern Connecticut State University last year while Adam, a communications major, will begin his junior year at SCSU in the fall. Aaron and Andrew respectively attend Southington High School and John F. Kennedy Middle School.
     Family members and friends are expected to soon begin making donations to the fund in memory of loved ones, in commemoration of special occasions, and on Sam’s children’s birthdays. It is a situation that has left Margie at a loss for words to describe her gratitude.
     "It’s all very humbling," she said. "I don’t think I can ever repay our friends for doing this. What a nice legacy for my kids to see, that one person can affect so many people."
     The education trust fund does not mark the first time the Forcucci family’s network of close friends has stepped up to assist them. Tom Foligno’s son Michael donated one of his kidneys to Sam for a transplant operation five years ago. Michael took Sam’s death particularly hard.
     "Michael felt cheated that he only gave Sam an extra five years," Margie said. "He told us he still prays for Sam and even named his dog after him. Sam and I would always talk about Michael. We could never say thank you for what he did."
     That Michael was a near-perfect donor for Sam is representative of the family-like bond the Forcuccis share with the Puccis and Folignos. The families met 19 years ago as parishioners at Saint Dominic Church where their friendships blossomed through Christmas caroling and youth group activities.
     The families dined at each others’ homes and went on vacations together to Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod. Amanda, a teacher in the Hamden elementary school system, said she felt like she had "20 dads and 20 moms" when she was growing up.
     "I feel special having a secret group of people who are there when we’re in need," Amanda said. "I think it’s awesome. It’s definitely overwhelming."
     Her siblings were particularly grateful to be receiving assistance for college. Adam voiced optimism that Andrew will not have to work two or three jobs in high school like he, Amanda and Aaron did to save money for college.
     Margie said her children always put away two-thirds of their paychecks in special college savings accounts. "My kids are not afraid to work. They have a great work ethic like their dad," she said.
     "Film school is really expensive," said Aaron, an aspiring movie screenwriter. "I’m just really amazed that I might get to college now."
     It took months of meetings with lawyers and bank officials to iron out the terms of the trust fund, Barbara Pucci said. Such funds are regulated by complex bylaws that require a minimum of two unrelated trustees. The Forcucci trust fund has three trustees; Jim and Barbara Pucci and Dick Cote of Rhode Island.
     "All these kids are smart," Barbara Pucci said. "They’ve all been on the honor rolls in high school. It would be a shame if they didn’t get to go to college."
     Donations to the fund are being sent to the Southington branch of Webster Bank on 132 Main St., Southington, CT. 06489. Checks are made payable to the Forcucci Family Education Trust Fund.
     "For our friends to help us out again is unbelievable," Margie said. "I feel very lucky that I and my children have all this love and support and now the opportunity to go through college. There are no words to describe my feelings."