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If that wise woman’s words hold true,
Nathan Carducci gifted many with his love,
despite the young age and suddenness
with which he took leave of this world.
Nathan Carducci was a freshman, surely wet behind the ears, at Canisius High School
when he passed away on Nov. 20, 2011.
Yet his infectious smile, joie de vivre and giving nature impressed everyone who knew
him—and many who didn’t. The second in his family to attend Canisius (brother Michael
graduated in 2007), Nathan was “the gung-ho younger brother,” says Father Frederick Betti.
“He was very funny, always laughing, and he loved Canisius from the day he got here.”
Nathan’s gung-ho spirit permeated everything he did, in school and out. He sang cartoon
songs with gusto, laughed loudly and long at family stories, played with younger kids as if he
were their age again and took every chance to experience adventure.
The fip side to Nathan’s enthusiasm to life was his compassion toward others. His aunt,
Carol Styliades, recalls fondly that Nathan “was always aware of the people around him. He
was always willing to help others and was a true champion of the underdog. After Nathan’s
passing, his parents received numerous letters and phone calls, most with . . . stories of his
kindness or instances when he helped a teacher or fellow student.
Although it wasn’t surprising to hear this, his parents were amazed at the number
of stories they heard from relative strangers, but who were never mentioned by Nathan.
That is the way he lived his short life, in quiet service.”
Even today, Nathan continues to serve others and ofer a gift, a beautiful thing. After his
passing, his parents established The Nathan P. Carducci Scholarship Fund. Perhaps in
recognition of the joy he embodied as much as an expression of sorrow, in less than one year’s
time family and friends have raised more than $100,000 for the fund. The scholarships are
earmarked for young men at Canisius High School who exemplify the characteristics that made
his light shine so brightly, and so, Nathan will have a substantial efect on lives of young men
who pass through the Blue Doors.
Father Betti thinks that the lasting result of Nathan’s time on earth will be the way his
memory brought together a community of people, many of whom didn‘t even know him
personally. A golf tournament held in his honor to beneft the scholarship fund was sold out
and will be an annual event. A beneft held in April drew hundreds of attendees. In September,
his class held its frst Emmaus retreat, where they designated an empty chair to represent his
presence there. The Class of 2012 planted a tree outside the mansion in his honor as its class
gift. And on October 31, Canisius dedicated and blessed the tree and a marker during
a celebration of Nathan’s life.
Perhaps all the things that made Nathan, Nathan, and his continuing gifts infuenced
the words engraved on the marker in front of his tree: “In our hearts forever,
Nathan P. Carducci, Crusader.”
in memory of
c r u s a d e r
n a t h a n c a r d u c c i ‘ 1 5
In our hearts forever