MARK SANTAPAGA passed away on October 18, 2003. Mark G. Santapaga, of Parlin, NJ, was a chief engineer with the Staten Island Ferry, died Thursday in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean 1999 Breeze, after a one-year battle with leukemia.
He was born in Great Kills and settled in Parlin in 1983. A graduate of Monsignor Farrell High School, Mr. Santapaga was captain of the schools varsity field events team, where he threw the shot put and held the discus record for more than 10 years. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Engineering in 1980 from SUNY Maritime College, Fort Schuyler. While in college, he played offensive lineman for the schools football team. Following graduation, Mr. Santapaga began his career as an engineering officer with the U.S. Department of Defenses Military Sealift Command. He began working at the Staten Island Ferry in 1983, where he was deputy director of construction and repairs and the chief engineer.
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