Wayne Mavricz is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, so his team’s convincing win over the New York Jets on Monday night would normally have led to a phone call to Mark Adiletta, a fellow member of Masuk High School’s Class of 1984, for good-natured ribbing. The two friends and fellow classmate, Joey Venezia, were inseparable growing up, but Mavricz and Venezia lost their friend over 20 years ago.
“Mark was a gigantic New York Jets fan and Joey is a Vikings fan, so every year we would go to one of the home games,” Mavricz said. “It was a chance to spend time together.”
Whenever Mavricz goes downstairs in his Oxford home, he sees a photo of himself and Adiletta sitting in the bleachers of a Jets-Steelers game at Pittsburgh, both wearing their team’s jersey and a smile.
Adiletta was living in Maple Grove, Minn., with his wife Natalie and their son Colton, when he died on April 5, 2004. He was only 37-years-old. Doctors determined he passed away from a heart complication.
Honoring his memory
Mavricz and his friend’s wife, Natalie, came up with an idea to honor him. They started the annual Mark R. Adiletta Memorial Golf Outing. Over its 21 year existence, the event raised more than $105,000 for the Mark Adiletta Memorial Scholarship.
Adiletta’s son, Colton, was less-than-a-year old when his father passed, so the scholarship goes to a high-performing Masuk senior, who had also lost a parent.
Natalie had met with Ann Odoy, a member of Masuk’s Class of 1984, who is now head of the guidance department there, to create the scholarship and the criteria.
Colton is now in his early 20s.
“Natalie did a great job raising Colton on her own and he’s turned out to be an awesome young man,” Mavricz said, “and they stayed close to Mark’s parents. Mark was an only child. She’s six hours away, but always makes sure Colton is in their lives. He would spend summers with his grandparents and they all went on vacations together.”
The most recent golf tournament was held at Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course in Fairfield last August. The event features prizes and gift baskets, along with breakfast, lunch and dinner for the participants.
“We’ve had overwhelming support,” Mavricz said. “Mark touched many lives and brings out the best in people — and they keep coming every year, donating their time and money to make it successful.”
Mavricz said the golfers include those who went to school with Adiletta, and others who never met him, but come for Mavricz, Natalie and Venezia. Most learn about the tournament by word of mouth.
“It’s grown every year,” Mavricz said. “This year was the biggest. We had 120 people.”
Inseparable
Mavricz and Adiletta first became friends as fourth graders at Monroe Elementary School after Adiletta’s mother came into their classroom to teach an art lesson.
“I played baseball and rec basketball with him,” Mavricz recalled. “He was a good baseball player and a very good hockey player too. By the time we got to high school, I played football and he played hockey. He would go to my games and I would go to his games.”
“In high school we really got close. We had a good group of friends,” Mavricz said. “His other really good friend was Joey Venezia. Us three were pretty much inseparable. We all had the same interests in cars and music. We all loved Kiss and went to many concerts together.”
Mavricz fondly remembers overnight stays with friends at the Adilettas’ house.
“They had a pool table,” he said. “We had pool tournaments and ping pong tournaments. We listened to Kiss and Led Zeppelin. We even had floor hockey games in the basement. Mrs. Adiletta would yell at us when we hit the wall with the puck,” he added with a chuckle.
Mavricz said Adiletta was good at ping pong. When they were in the same math class they talked teacher David Strong, the legendary Masuk girls basketball coach, to play against him.
“Mr. Strong was good at ping pong,” Mavricz said. “They faced each other in the gym and Mark was victorious.”
After graduating from Masuk, Adiletta went to the University of Rhode Island.
“Soon after college, Mark started working for U.S. Surgical and then I got a job there and saw him in the office in 1997,” said Mavricz, who was a network engineer in IT. “He was very successful in sales, then in marketing.”
Their friendship continued to flourish outside of work.
“Since we were older and sports guys, we started our own flag football league and played games at Wolfe Park,” Mavricz said. “That was one of Mark’s biggest passions. We would go there and play.”
Another fun memory Mavricz has was going to Mark’s parents, Mark Sr. and Mary Adiletta’s house in Westerly, R.I.
“It was five minutes from Misquamicut,” he said. “When were older the three of us, more Joey, would stay there and go fishing and tubing. Back then, we roller skated,” he added.
U.S. Surgical was bought out, so Adiletta left and ended up working for a medical device company in Minnesota, according to Mavricz. Adiletta was vice president of the surgical business unit for Gyrus Medical.
Mavricz remembers his late friend as someone who was very likable, with a good sense of humor and a great smile.
“I think about him every day,” Mavricz said. “I don’t want people to forget him. He died too young — 37-years-old is crazy. It’s just sad. It shows you life is short. He was a wonderful person.”
Below is a gallery of photos from the 2024 Mark R. Adiletta Memorial Golf Outing:
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