By Akilah Johnson and John R. Ellement
Boston Globe
April 6, 2011
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/04/worker_at_chris.html?rss_id=Top+Stories
 |
| SANDWICH -- Jamie Costa and Jessica Lynn talk about Charles "Chuck'' DeVita, a Camp Good News worker who committed suicide. |
SANDWICH – They talked about how he made pizza – New York style and delicious – and about how he could fix anything that needed repairs in the sprawling Christian summer facility that is Camp Good News.
But mostly, teenagers who showed up outside the entry to the camp today talked about the loss of their friend, Charles "Chuck" DeVita, a facilities manager for the camp who, authorities said, shot himself to death after being accused of abusing at least one camper in the 1980s.
"He was never that creepy guy," said Andrew Iarocci, 17, who attended the camp from age 6 to 14. "He was just a really beloved member of the camp community. … I considered him a friend. ''
Iarocci said he learned about DeVita's death while at his Catholic school today. "I just went into the chapel and cried," he said.
Iarocci said that DeVita was famous among campers for making New York style pizza, a culinary skill Iarocci said he believed DeVita learned while growing up in New York where his parents ran, or owned, a pizza shop.
Earlier today, Jessica Lynn, 17, and Jamie Costa, 15, stopped by the camp, hoping to offer their support to anyone who needed it. Lynn attended the camp for 11 years; Costa for seven.
Costa said she was a huge fan of DeVita's pizzas.
"It was delicious," Costa said. "He just used the right amount of cheese and crust. You could tell he put a lot of love into it."
Iarocci, Costa, and Lynn all said they did not believe the man they knew could have harmed anyone, especially anyone who came to share in the Christian camp where prayers coexisted along with classic summertime activities like swimming in a pond on the property.
"Chuck has been a part of our lives for a while," Lynn said. "He was such a good guy. He really was."
She added: "He was God's blessing on our lives."
Long-time camp volunteer Robert Werner, 77, of Pocasset, said in a phone interview that he knew Devita "very well" and the allegations came as a complete shock.
"The one word that comes to mind, I'd have to say, he was a good person," Werner said. "The thing that's really preying on us is that he's gone."
He said Devita must have been under tremendous stress because of the allegations.
"He was a sensitive person. ... He was generous, he was kind," he said.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.