The Inly community is deeply saddened to say goodbye to beloved father, husband, friend, Inly School teacher and soccer player, Ned DiGregorio. Born on December 27, 1966, Edward “Ned” DiGregorio, Jr. died suddenly on April 12, 2013, playing soccer, the sport he loved his entire life.
Ned brought love and magic to the lives of many, including his wife Jennifer and two daughters, Abby and Tess, of Scituate; his parents Edward and Maureen DiGregorio of Dennis; his in-laws and second parents Ronald and Donna “Foxy”” Katz of Shelton, CT, and Scituate; his brother Jonathan DiGregorio and his wife Tamela of Norton; his sister Meredith Techiera and her husband John of Westwood; his brother-in-law Timothy Katz and his wife Ana-Maria of Miami, FL; his sister-in-law Heather Katz and her friend John Prieser of Jacksonville, FL; lifelong friends Charles and Laurie Withington of Acton; Richard Webber and Ellie Lane of Norwell; Joseph Krall of Wellfleet; and special nieces and nephews, Ryan and Alyssa DiGregorio; John, Thomas, and Matthew Techiera; Olivia Katz (whom he looked forward to meeting this summer); Simon and Lucy Webber; and Grace, Matthew and George Withington. He also leaves many cherished aunts, uncles and their families in Connecticut, Massachusetts and North Carolina, along with the close friends of Abby and Tess whom he truly loved as his own. His godparents are Nancy Petrucci of Westwood and William Marshall of Dedham.
Ned will be especially missed by his students, their parents and his colleagues at Inly School in Scituate where he brought humor and joy to learning each day. Ned taught Inly’s Upper Elementary students for 6 years and also coached soccer in the after school program and at Summer at Inly camp. He had many friends in his neighborhood and through both his soccer coaching for the Town of Scituate and his own soccer teams with The Busy Bee Pub and Hingham Sports Center on Friday nights.
Ned met Jennifer in 1991 through mutual friends at the Falmouth Road Race and shyly called her two months later to begin their twenty-two year romance. He was a loving, patient and remarkable dad who came to believe in fairies, unicorns and all things glitter. While not a true gamer, Ned could hold his own in Scrabble against the pro-plays of game devotees, and he always would abandon his own work to play with Abby and Tess.
Affectionately known to many as “The Chief” and as “Nedro,” Ned and his family loved their time at their vacation home in Harwich where they planned to retire. He was a creative grill-master, and he showed no fear of driving on the left side of the road in St. John where he cherished “sundazing” and snorkeling with all three of his girls. He always took the overnight shifts on long road trips to The Outer Banks each summer, another family tradition.
Ned and Jennifer experienced many adventures together, including her graduation from law school, three job changes, one inspiring career overhaul, which led him to Inly School, two babies in nineteen months, four different houses, one pool construction (in which he was too chicken to swim when it was done last December), one household flood, four delightful dogs, one guinea pig, countless hours of interpretive dance and dress-up parties, two wild and crazy extended families, and his favorite chore: stick-pick-up.
Ned leaves a huge hole in the collective heart of those who knew and loved him. His family expresses deep sincere appreciation to his Friday Night Soccer Team, the staff at Hingham Sports Center, the Hingham EMTs, and the medical providers at South Shore Hospital who gave so much in trying to save his too short life and who cared so much when it could not happen.
On Monday evening, April 15, a Sunset Vigil was held on Inly’s Sunflower Hill, an outdoor classroom set on one of the highest points in Scituate with distant views of the ocean. Members of Inly’s community gathered to honor Ned’s legacy by sharing words and stories that best exemplified Ned. A number of boxed soccer balls were collected for donation to a soccer charity, which Ned’s students plan to choose in the coming days. As the sun set behind the hill, the crowd gathered together, linking arms and raising candles to the sky. They listened to poetry and sang the song, “Imagine,” by John Lennon. It was a lovely tribute to a wonderful man.
Inly’s Head of School, Donna Milani Luther, said, “It has been heart-warming to see how our community has come together to support one another and Ned’s family through such a difficult time.” Inly plans to continue to support students, faculty members and families by offering age-appropriate grief counseling and opportunities in the coming days, weeks and months to honor Ned.
A memorial gathering of family and friends will be held on Tuesday, April 16 from 4-8PM at Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home, 382 First Parish Rd, Scituate. A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday at 10AM in St. Mary of the Nativity Church, 1 Kent St, Scituate.
At the family’s request, in lieu of flowers, donations will be graciously accepted for an educational fund for Abby and Tess. Checks may be payable to: Fidelity Investments, and sent to 100 Greenfield Ln, Scituate, MA 02066.
To read past Inside Inly blog posts about Ned and his contributions to the Inly community, please see below:
Forging New Montessori Relationships