When Quinn Chan and Andrew Roccella were boys in junior high, Roccella urged Chan to let go of his fear of the Loch Ness Monster. It was Roccella's favorite roller coaster ride at Busch Gardens, and although Chan wasn't thrilled with roller coasters, Roccella persuaded him to try it just once. Trusting his friend, Chan agreed, and they rode the Loch Ness Monster not once, not twice, but 21 times during that hour. As soon as they finished one ride, they rushed to catch another one, before Roccella's parents could stop them.
Years later, when Chan moved to Boston to start dental school, he decided to approach his new life the way his good friend Andrew would. Roccella was always outgoing, courageous and personable, and Chan wanted to be the same. By following his friend's example, Chan ended up making friends and liking Boston, and Chan once again credited Roccella for serving as his inspiration.
"He always had a way of bringing out everyone's potential to enjoy life," said Chan, who urged others to embrace Andrew's legacy, even after his untimely death. "He always had the courage to do new things, and I'll always appreciate the effect he had on my life."
Childhood friends like Chan, buddies from college and the workplace, and family and neighbors gathered to remember the bright, talkative and loyal Andrew at a memorial service last Friday at Vienna Presbyterian Church. More than 300 loved ones crowded into the church's sanctuary to honor Roccella, who grew up in Vienna and attended Vienna schools before graduating from Purdue University in Indiana.
Roccella, 26, and his girlfriend, Illinois native and George Mason University graduate student Corinne Schillings, also 26, were two of four who died after the water taxi they were riding in at Baltimore's Inner Harbor capsized on March 6.
"Knowing Andrew enriched our lives and made us all better in some way," said Kirk K. VanTine, a longtime neighbor of the Roccellas, who watched the boy with the winning smile grow up from a child to a young man.
WITH ROCCELLA'S ROOTS in Vienna, dozens in attendance had stories about Roccella that they could share on Friday. Roccella, who moved to Vienna with his family when he was an infant, graduated from Marshall High School in 1995 and attended Wolftrap Elementary and Kilmer Middle.
Another childhood friend, Andrew Wang, recalled how he and Roccella, and Wang's younger brother would play video games, catch minnows at a nearby creek, and ride on dirt bikes together.
When Wang or his brother would tell Roccella to "shut up," Roccella would cite the First Amendment and freedom of speech. His comeback led Wang's younger brother to study the Bill of Rights in search of a loophole.
"He was more than just a next-door neighbor to us. He was our middle brother," Wang said.
VanTine remembered a generous, 10-year-old boy who organized impromptu games of kickball on the neighborhood street. VanTine's daughter, then 5, wanted to play kickball, but VanTine feared she couldn't keep with the older children.
Roccella took VanTine's youngest daughter under his wing, instead of letting her stay on the sidelines. He coached her and told other children to be mindful of the youngest player.
"I realized ... how truly kind Andrew was, and how he cared for other people," VanTine said.
AFTER GRADUATING from Marshall High School in 1995, where he played lacrosse and basketball, Roccella attended Purdue University in Indiana. Still fun-loving, he liked going to the parties before and after Purdue's football games. But he still excelled in school, and was inducted into two honor societies before he graduated with honors in English.
During his junior year, he spent time abroad in Italy, where he met Corinne Schillings, at a coffee shop. Schillings knew five languages, and they discovered that their birthdays were six days apart. To celebrate, they went to see the opera "La Bohème" together.
They had been together since then, even after they both graduated from Purdue. Roccella worked at AC Technologies and moved back to his parents' home so he could save money to buy a condo. He eventually bought one and brought his circles of friends together by hosting Halloween parties and other theme parties like "Welcome Back Joe Gibbs" and "Come Dressed As Your Dad."
Schillings moved to Alexandria and became a Ph.D. candidate in environmental science and public policy at George Mason University.
There was talk of marriage, and Roccella bought an engagement ring with intentions of popping the question. Their families met in Baltimore, where they took a water taxi to enjoy the Inner Harbor.
But an ill wind blew over the harbor, in the form of a cold front with 50 mph gusts. The boat Roccella and Schillings were riding, the Lady D, capsized, and they drowned together. Both bodies were found days later, about 30 feet apart. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
"I don't believe in a heartbeat that God orchestrates tragedies like this one ... but there are no guarantees for a long and happy life," said Vienna Presbyterian Church pastor Peter James, who officiated at Friday's memorial service.
Although Roccella made a premature departure from them, his friends and family speculated what Roccella would say to comfort them.
"He would encourage us not to hide from our feelings. He would tell us in his gentle way ... how important it is for us to continue with our lives, not to remember the sadness," Wang said.