“What was right yesterday is right today and will be right tomorrow; Kevin had an unwavering moral compass. He was a great friend to my brother and me for every bit of 50 years loved by my entire family. All the gut busting laughter we shared with Kevin over the years doesn’t make this news any easier to accept. He was a great husband, dad, friend and I am so fortunate to have the memories. Rest Kev. Well Done.”
On hearing about the loss of a dear friend, a poignant Facebook posting by Bob Skae describes the passing of beloved Howard Beach resident Kevin K. Surdi.
According to those who knew and loved him, it was always thumbs up for Kevin Surdi. This photo was taken on June 8 at the Howard Beach Relay for Life during the survivors lap. Patricia Adams/The Forum Newsgroup
A man of hope, unwavering faith, and love, Kevin had an infectious smile and loved his work as a teacher in both public and Catholic elementary schools, including St. Thomas the Apostle in Woodhaven, the Ave Maria Catholic Academy in Howard Beach and Sacred Heart School in Glendale. Cherished by students everywhere, he also served as a principal in the Archdiocese of New York.
Kevin was also employed by the New York Mets organization and ran a successful Mets baseball camp. His involvement as a baseball coach for children earned him the proud name of ‘Skip,’ a coach everyone loved.
And to know Kevin was to know that he loved his family, children, baseball and his faith. The wisdom, love and charity that he imparted on so many individuals was overwhelmingly evident outside of Gleason’s Funeral Home in Whitestone, where hundreds of mourners stood in the street waiting to get into the chapel in groups of 200 on a scorching Tuesday night.
“This is a tribute befitting of the man,” said friend and Our Lady of Grace colleague Doreen DeCandia from the line outside. “It’s also a heartbreaking loss for family, friends and community.”
Kevin fought an optimistic battle against prostate cancer for 10 years, always with a smile on his face and a light in his blue eyes. His wife Cindy and his five children, Kevin, Kellie, Katherine, Kerri, and Casey were at his side during his last week. He died at Calvary Hospital in Brooklyn on July 13, 2013.
The Surdi family has been involved with the Relay for Life of Howard Beach since 2010. Kerri Surdi was an All Star each year and has professed a fierce determination to be a major contributor in the fight against cancer. The relay committee planned on honoring Kevin’s survivorship and dedication to the American Cancer Society at the 2014 relay in June and now instead will hold the 6th Annual Relay in his memory.
“I remember each Relay watching Mr. Surdi walk the survivor lap with his family and thinking, ‘wow look at the support he had from them,’ said Phyllis Inserillo, chair of the Howard Beach Relay. “That’s what the relay is all about. It’s hard to think about not seeing him walking that lap again.”
A string of messages on Facebook followed Bob Skae’s comments but perhaps none quite describes the man as he described himself. In a conversation he had with close friend and colleague Barbara Kavanagh, just last week, Kevin Surdi wondered about life. His life. “Kevin was coming to terms with “checking out early, and he asked me if he had done enough,” said Kavanagh, the principal of St. Luke’s School in College Point. “Have I done enough good?” Surdi asked. “I told him that his love was reflected in Cindy, his kids and every other life he had touched.” Kavanagh added to her thoughts, “I would say Kevin did not just do enough—he did above and beyond.”
Kevin K. Surdi was 57 years old.
By Patricia Adams
