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Nearly a decade separates them — Class of 1976 and Class of 1985. When Mike Petrone and his friends and football teammates cruised the halls of Bishop Kenrick High School in Norristown, Rich Wesselt and his friends and football teammates were still wading through grade school.
They never shared a classroom, a football field or a locker room — but the members of the Michael Petrone Foundation and the “Kenrick 12” Band of Brothers most definitely share a common thread — grief over friends taken too soon.
Each group — MPF and Band of Brothers — came together solidly in high school as friends and teammates. Friendships formed at Kenrick back then, however, have formed an unbreakable bond that has cemented each group, each team of friends. So, it’s not surprising that these two formidable groups of friends have teamed up to create yet another legacy in honor of Mike Petrone, Chris Friend and Dave Stagliano.
After Michael Petrone died in 1998 while undergoing a heart and kidney transplant, his friends knew the best way to honor him was to celebrate his approach to life and embrace the things the mattered most to him — family, friends, children and his hometown of Norristown. The Michael Petrone Foundation was established to support charities and individuals who reflect and represent Mike’s strength of character, integrity and compassion for others. And since 1999, MPF has proudly honored the legacy of Mike Petrone by modeling a simple code…friends helping friends.
The “Kenrick 12” were forced to deal with two impactful losses. The first came in 2015, when Dave Friday died of a heart attack. He was 47 years old, and the “heart of that Kenrick football team,” best friend and teammate Rich Wesselt said.
“Dave (Friday) was a strong, solid football player, and he could bench press 405 pounds,” Wesselt offered. “But most importantly, Dave was like a brother to all of us. He was a good human being. He was godfather to my youngest son, Carson; both my boys (Carson and Logan) loved Dave. He would do anything for you.”
In 2022, these brothers were forced to deal with yet another unexpected and tragic loss.
Dave Stagliano died February 2022 after an illness — his obituary in The Times Herald references “The Kenrick 12,” the band of brothers.
“This was very hard on all of us. Dave Stagliano went into hospital on December 24, 2021 and passed February 6, 2022,” Wesselt said last year. “He never was able to get out of the hospital. We never saw him again. This was extremely challenging and heartbreaking. It strengthened the bond between us even greater, knowing how precious life is and the importance of friends and family. We plan to continue to honor their legacies for many years to come.”
And staying true to that word, Wesselt and the surviving Kenrick 12 — Moe Cabot; Tom McGrath; Chris Cameron; Dave Stagliano; Tom Kelly; Chris Pizzirani; Elio Colavita; Frank Basile; Tony Dupell; Bob Stec — joined forces with Mike Migliarese; Dave Riley; Drew Ritchie; Paul DeSantis; Terry McKenna; Pat Nolan; Tim Bonjo; Brian Opielski; Chuck Maggio and Scott Crouch to create that formidable band of brothers that keeps the bond strong and those legacies alive.
Now, that band of brothers is teaming up with MPF, and both groups honor their fallen friends in a manner that, Wesselt noted, could only happen in the Kenrick community.
“In all of my years and travels,” Wesselt said, “I have never met a more loyal and close-knit group than the graduates of Bishop Kenrick High School. The 1970s and the 1980s were a special time that forged lifelong friendships which we all hold dear to our hearts”
The inaugural event for MPF-Band of Brothers will happen on April 20, 2024 at Screwballs Bar and Grille (216 W Beidler Road, King of Prussia) from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Cost is $40 and covers food, drink and fun. Proceeds will benefit two families connected to MPF, which is nearing its 25th anniversary, and the Kenrick community.
Mike Petrone’s 1976 BKHS classmate, Peggy Greidus Levins, has been dealing with a medical crisis in her family. Her daughter Megan McLaughlin was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer after giving birth to her third child. Peggy has stepped in to help care for her grandchildren while her daughter and son-in-law wage a courageous battle against this horrible disease.
The event will also benefit Linda Ahmad, a widow with three children who was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, and her family.
Two groups of friends a decade apart. In any other town, any other community it would be somewhat surprising to learn that the Petrone-Friday-Stagliano connection started years ago. Mike Petrone’s sister Lana Petrone Skrzat had the pleasure of teaching Friday and Stagliano when they were students at Holy Saviour Grade School. And Skrzat is not at all surprised by the already strong connection formed between both groups.
“If two of my students ever reminded me of my brother Michael, it would be Dave Friday and Dave Stagliano,” said Lana Petrone Skrzat. “They were funny, caring, loyal, fun-loving, helpful and with contagious smiles- a teacher does not forget even after 40 years. To hear of their passing breaks my heart — students should outlive their teachers.
“When the Band of Brothers joined with MPF to honor them, the connection was incredible and truly meant to be. Honoring the memory of those we love helps us to heal. And if we can help others in their name, we share the smiles we were lucky enough to have shared with them. Dave Stagliano and Dave Friday, just like my brother Michael, left us too soon. But the friendship and love lives on.”
Save the Date:
The 25th annual Michael Petrone Golf Outing well be held Sept. 16, 2024 at the Bella Vista Golf Club, 2901 Fagleysville Road, Gilbertsville. For more information visit https://www.michaelpetronefoundation.org/
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