All of Tony Villella's friends use the same words to describe him.
"He always had a smile on his face," sophomore biology major Mike Dignazio said.
"He was a guy everyone could get along with," sophomore business management major Andrew Prettyman said.
"He was an all around good kid with a kind heart," freshman Mike Emmet said.
Villella died on Feb. 10 after attending a party off-campus. His mother, Judy Villella, said she doesn't know exactly what led to his death.
"These college kids, they have parties and everything else, and they told me they'd all been drinking," she said. "They said he fell asleep and was snoring on the sofa, and next thing he wasn't."
Villella's mother said at least 500 people attended the viewing and funeral on Friday and Saturday. She said she was amazed by the turnout.
"Tony was a great guy," she said. "He loved everybody. He never had a sad face on him."
"He was my rock," she added. "I really don't know what I'll do without him."
Villella, a native of Bowie, had a passion for hockey. He played on Dematha Catholic School's ice hockey team for four years.
And he continued playing in college, playing defense for TU's team as a freshman.
"When he was choosing a school, he chose Towson over Salisbury because Towson had a higher-ranking hockey team," his mother said.
Keith Laxman, a sophomore sports management major, was a hockey team rookie alongside Villella last year.
"Anyone who knows him knows he was always smiling and telling jokes," Laxman said. "He was always friendly with anybody he met."
He was buried in his Dematha hockey jersey, Bobby Kuczarski, a sophomore business administration major and Villella's cousin, said.
Kuczarskia said his cousin enjoyed spending summers at a beach house in Ocean City. He remembers riding up and down Coastal Highway in Villella's Honda S2000.
"We used to roll around in that with the top down and hit on girls together," Kuczarskia recalled.
Villella purchased a Subaru WRX about two months ago, so his mother now drives the S2000.
"He pimped my ride," Judy Villella said. "I'm driving an S2000 convertible with tinted windows, a carbon fiber roof, lowered all the way to the ground, and it's got a muffler you can hear a mile away,"
Prettyman met Villella when they both lived in Tower B last year. They moved into an apartment in The Colony last semester.
"Even if you didn't know him, he would be friendly to you right away," Prettyman said. "When he walked in the door, he would always say something to everybody."
Prettyman said Villella brought life to the apartment.
"He wasn't just like any other roommate, he was unique," Prettyman said. "Now I sit here, expecting him to walk through the door. Then it hits you that it's not going to happen."
Kuczarskia said friends are organizing a memorial golf tournament this summer. Proceeds will go towards a scholarship fund in Villella's name at Dematha.
|
|
|
| Home | Copyright Brian Stelter |