To Lauren Gatto, it made the most sense to quote her fiancé to describe her feelings following his death.
"Trying to stay strong is the hardest part," Andrew Revello tweeted following the recent passing of a loved one.
Gatto and hundreds more tried to stay strong Monday at Revello's funeral. The 22-year-old Highland Heights native was pronounced dead last week from injuries he suffered in a June car crash in Butler Township, Pa.
Family members, friends, teammates and coaches of the St. Bonaventure University pitcher also known as "Dice" shifted between tears and laughter during the memorial service at St. Pascal Baylon Church. The tears came from remembering his smile and desire to constantly raise spirits around him, speakers at the funeral said.
The laughs came at times like the moment when longtime friend Matt Broffman revealed just how positive Revello, an avid Ohio State Buckeyes fan, really was.
"The only negative thing I ever heard him say was about Michigan," he said to the crowd, providing one of the lighter moments of the somber morning.
Broffman began thinking of Revello as his little brother when they began working together at a country club. Though he would tease Revello's skinny stature, he could tell Dice would become a great athlete. Now, Broffman sees his little brother as so much more.
"While I mentioned Andrew was an elite athlete, he was also an elite person," he said. "He was funny, full of joy, compassionate, loving and determined."
St. Bonaventure baseball coach Larry Sudbrook and his team made the trip from New York state to Northeast Ohio to honor Dice, the team's star pitcher. Sudbrook teared up as said he hoped Dice's family would be available next season to take the "last lap" around the bases. Revello, who graduated with a year of baseball eligibility left, wanted to take the lap himself following this past season, but was told to wait until 2014.
Sudbrook also promised to keep Dice in the No. 1 spot on the depth chart for entire 2014 season.
"Dice deserves that," the coach said. "There'll be a 1-A, 2, 3, but he will stay at No. 1 on that board.
"He earned it, he deserves it."
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