Obituary of Michael N Codignotto

Michael Codignotto’s eulogy presented on 07/25/15 Michael is so unbelievable happy you are all here today. There was nothing he loved more than being with family and friends. I am certain that he could never have imagined that so many of you would gather here today in celebration of his life. Once meeting Michael you quickly realized how incredibly special, intriguing and smart he was. He wanted and strived to learn about the lives of the individuals he met, in great detail. And LORD, help you, if you forgot one detail, or he found a single inconsistency in your story. So today it’s your turn to learn some more details about Michael ...that always made him so memorable. He called his friends, uncles, aunts and cousins on a regular basis. Like most of us, he often needed reassurance that he was loved. Mike grew up as a very happy little boy, and even at a very early age he always wanted to be surrounded by his family. He counted on his cousins, Alex, Andrew, Ashley, Christine, Max and Carly like brothers and sister. Even from his very early schools years, he made life long friends. Many of these friends are here with us today to join in this celebration of Mike's life. When he saw how special education instructors were teaching his autistic sister Samantha, he copied what they were doing to teach his sister as well. He counted on his Grandparents, Joan and Email for all types of knowledge and wisdom. He had a strong desire to learn from their experiences on topics ranging from the history of World Wars to how to clean his closet. He ensured that the entire extended family would gather together with him to celebrate holidays and other special occasions. Even calling Uncle Matt to make sure he was there on time and preaching to him on the importance of reliability. As a young teen he read and studied various interesting topics. He amazed his family and friends with facts and trivia of what he had learned. Michael had a great mechanical mind at very young age. He constructed many building models and some of the most enormous Connects structures. He was very close to him Mom, Nancy. Nancy stopped working when Michael was young. Together they would go visit and explore many places, including all the museums in NYC. It was during his early teens, that his Mom became ill. As I became busy caring for Nancy, Mike had to quickly learn to care for himself. He began to study recipes from the internet and taught himself how to cook. He then started to care for his own laundry, as well. When his Mom Nancy passed away, he was only 19 years old. He was incredible stoic and brave during this very difficult time. After just a few weeks, he came to me and said “Dad, is it OK to cry, but we need to move on with our lives”. As brave as he sounded, I knew he missed his Mom terribly. During this time, his aunts and uncles, Sandra, Cliff, Matt, Barbara, Donald, Paula and Robert remained very close to him, talking to him, giving him advice and answering his questions. Several years later, when I introduced him to Virtudes he was very intrigued. He told me he never though I would ever date another woman. Not because of his Mom, but simply....because I was too old.... and he was surprised ANY woman would have an interest in me. Virtudes and Michael immediately had an amazing connection. At the time, Michael was at a boarding school and we did not see him that often. But they would talk on the phone. Virtudes showed Michael unconditional love. Once we were engaged to be married he called Virtudes his Step-Mom, and they continued to become very close. A month before we married, Michael stated that their relationship was close enough, “I am calling her Mom from now on.” This made him very happy. Michael was blessed to have TWO of the best Moms any son could wish for. As our Wedding drew near, Mike was as excited as we were. Our wedding day was one of Mike’s happiest days ever. A dream come true for him! His already large family was growing even bigger. He would now have more family he could share with and start asking more questions to! And more and more questions… From this moment on he list his family as the Codignotto’s, Carpenter’s, Majinski’s Fusco’s, Bassani’s Brenan’s, Evangelista’s, Polanco’s, Sanchez’s, Tejasa’s, Jones, Cedeno’s and Rosario’s; just to name a few. His new brother and sisters, Jasmine, Jisely and Joel instantly opened their hearts to him and had countless time and energy to share with him and patiently answered all his questions. Michael always showed a love for young children. Now as an uncle to a new niece and nephew, he quickly bonded with his Mia over Katy Perry and Carly Rae Jepsen songs. He loved buying Mia gifts, playing hide and seek, and making her laugh, and going to the movies with Kenny. He quietly asked me for money so he could pay for Kenny and buy him snacks. Most recently, Michael was very excited about becoming an Uncle to baby Camila. He felt more grown up and wanted to be a good role model. He couldn't wait for the opportunity to hug her for the first time. If any of you have ever had the opportunity to hug Michael, you would know, just how loving and meaningful his hugs were. Mike loved to go to Virtudes’s school, Parisian beauty academy. They treated him like a Rock Star. 2015 was Mike’s best year ever. He moved into his own apartment for the first time with his friend Owen. He was so excited and happy, he told me “Dad this is too good to be true” Owen and Mike became closer and although Owen is a few years younger, Mike always looked up to him and admired him. They considered each other brothers. They enjoyed going out together and even food shopping, and cleaning the apartment. Thank you Owen for making 2015 the happiest year of his adult life. Mike always told me I was a great Dad. I have such memories of our time together. Thank you my Love (Virtudes) for making Michael’s Life so wonderful and so loved in just a few short years. As we all will, I will miss him so much. Michael's Obituary Michael N. Codignotto, 25, of Morris Plains, NJ passed away on July 20, 2015. Born in Livingston, NJ, Michael resided in Randolph, NJ, before recently moving to Morris Plains six months ago. Michael loved music, particularly playing his guitar and drums. His creative talents also lead him to write music, and short stories for comics. He enjoyed Vanguard card playing; and attending Comic Con events. Michael held his family very close to his heart – he especially cherished time spent at family gatherings. Michael is survived by his parents, Stephen and Virtudes; his siblings, Samantha, Jasmine, Jisely, Joel, Owen and their families. Michael was predeceased by his mom, Nancy, in 2009. Visiting will be on Friday, July 24, 2015 from 4-8pm at Dangler Funeral Home, 600 Speedwell Avenue, Morris Plains, NJ. A Funeral Mass for Michael will be held on Saturday, July 25, 2015 at 11:30am at St. Virgil’s Church, 250 Speedwell Avenue, Morris Plains, NJ. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations in memory of Michael can be made to: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 58301.