Memories of Mike

Editor's Note: The entire Boston College community was shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden death of rising senior Michael Ruscito. Though his life was cut tragically short, his spirit will live in the memories of those whose lives he touched. Heights Editor Keith Evans, friend and former roommate of Ruscito, remembers.

"It does not make sense. It does not make sense. It does not make sense." On Wednesday, Aug. 20, these words stung the hearts of nearly 30 Boston College students, along with countless family members and friends, who struggled to accept that their friend Michael Christopher Ruscito, A&S '09, of West Islip, N.Y., was no longer with them.

Sunlight poured into the church through its stained-glass windows, but there was no consolation for the family and friends who attended Mike's funeral. The words of Rev. Francis Samuel's homily were met only by more frustration, anger, and sadness. The past four days had been the worst imaginable for this distraught congregation, having lost more than just a friend.

Early Friday evening, around 10 p.m., Mike had been driving his 23-foot Boston Whaler recreational boat, along with his friend Matthew Sullivan, 21, also of West Islip, back home from a nearby clam bar in the Great South Bay, a large natural harbor on the southern side of Long Island.

Having navigated the bay for years, Mike could have made the trip in less than 15 minutes, even with the sun down. Instead, the unthinkable occurred. The top of Mike's boat slammed into the unubudercarriage of the Robert Moses Causeway, an eight-mile bridge that connects mainland Long Island to its barrier beach islands.

The boat's vertical canopy and control console came down on Mike's head, causing massive trauma. It is likely that Mike had no time to react and no time to feel pain.

Sullivan was knocked unconscious. The damaged vessel then drifted for over five hours. When Sullivan woke up, battered and confused, he found his longtime friend dead. It took the Suffolk County Marine Bureau and United States Coast Guard nearly two hours to locate the whaler.

For most of his life, Mike had used the bay as his own personal backyard, knowing the geography of the surrounding land and the tides of the water like a veteran fisherman. His understanding of boating was impressive for a 21-year-old. With that being said, Mike had chosen to pass under the causeway not at its safest point, but at one of its most dangerous - far from the middle, closer to shore, where the bridge is much lower. Even if the full moon had caused a high tide and choppy waters in the bay, Mike either made an error in judgment, or in gauging the darkness of the night, and never saw it coming.

For the family and friends of Mike, their reality became a living nightmare. Their summer ended. All plans were halted. Excitement for senior year was postponed. There was a wake, a funeral, and a burial. As nearly 75 people tossed roses onto his casket, for one final goodbye, all that remained were memories.

For Brian Ramsey, A&S '09, living with Mike for the past few years at BC is an experience he will never forget. "The kid was always going to extremes with everything he did. Whether it was ordering Chinese food at 2 a.m., and literally telling them to bring as much food as they could possibly carry, or one day, deciding he wanted DirecTV in his freshman dorm, actually trying to drill a hole through the roof of North Keyes with a drill he rented from Home Depot, the world was for his taking," Ramsey said. Mike never did get the DirecTV set up, but the effort was surely there. "I've never had a friend quite like Mike, and never will. He was a special dude, and we loved him for who he was. Senior year won't be the same without Daddy Russy."

Mike's friends at BC often called him Daddy Russy. Not because of his receding hairline, but because he really did take care of everyone around him. Ashley Herendeen, one of Mike's closest friends at BC and A&S '09, recalled the times when she was down, and Mike picked her up. "Like the time Mike picked me up from Vandy sophomore year at 3 a.m. because I couldn't sleep. He didn't even live on campus, but he drove around with me and talked to me until I got tired," she said. "There was even the time when Mike bought me a Red Sox Build-A-Bear for no reason other than to surprise me and make me happy after a long day of class. And this from a Yankees fan!" she said. "Mike had the most outstanding personality. I can say with confidence that I will never meet another person like him."

Ben Phillips, CSOM '09, also lived with Mike the past few years at BC. "Mike was a man in many ways," he said. "He dealt with many issues at a young age that most people do not have to face even into their 20s and 30s; He even moved himself into college his freshman year - who does that? I think the most important thing to recognize about Mike is the amount of life he packed into his 21 years. By living the way he did, Mike made his moments on this earth last longer than many people will ever make their own moments last," Phillips said.

Evin Luongo, A&S '09, cherishes the friendship they shared and considers himself lucky to have been one of Mike's closest friends. "Mike was like my brother at BC, and the brother that I never had. He knew every little quirk I had, and I have many. He understood me, genuinely cared about my life, and was such a great friend to me," he said. "I will especially miss all of our AIM conversations where [he] literally made me laugh out loud, and I did the same for [him]. Mike is one friend who will always be with me in everything that I do, even if it is from up above," he said.

Dave White, CSOM '09, remembers a trip he shared with Mike to the Bahamas over Christmas break where he realized the kind of friend he had in Mike. "I didn't really know Mike that well before the trip, but of course Mike was the only friend I could get to go with me. He was literally willing to do anything, anytime, with anyone," White said. "My parents had given me one rule before we left, and that was not to go anywhere without Mike. But one afternoon, I wandered off by myself. When I finally returned, Mike did not make a single joke about my disappearance. In fact, he had spent the few hours that I was gone scouring the hotel and surrounding area looking for me, and was pretty angry with me. I learned a lot about Mike that day and during that trip. He was a true friend who cared about everyone around him," White said.

Even those who did not know Mike for very long appreciated his friendship. "Before I met Mike for the first time, I had heard about how generous he was with his friendship," said Joe Jraitiny, A&S '09. All his friends were my friends, so I was really hoping to hit it off with him as well. Right from the start, he extended his generosity to me in all ways possible, and I'll never forget that. He never asked for anything in return, except for my friendship. Daddy Russy, I love you and miss you, rest in peace."

By all accounts, Mike was in a league of his own. His family, especially his parents Lou and Anna Ruscito, loved him with all their hearts. His friends, including longtime girlfriend Ali Bloom, Boston University '10, absolutely adored him. BC, the university that Mike prided himself on being a part of, will not be the same without him. Senior year, Mike, this one's for you.