A LIFE LIVED

Henry Anthony Badillo --also known as Poco to those close to him--was born in NYC on November 5, 1985 to Virginia Ruiz Badillo and Henry Badillo. He was the only child of his mother.

To have known him was to have experienced the wonder of a child born with inquisitiveness, brilliance, and sensitivity. He enjoyed life and sought always to learn from it, to revel in all it had to offer, and to make the world a better place in the brief time he was here. His parents were his greatest fans...they always were there to share his triumphs, to laugh at his corny jokes, to calm his fears, and dry his tears during his short 17 years with us. He also was greatly loved by so many others whose lives he touched.

As a child, he loved Disney's Goofy, books, dinosaurs, and Plato (yes, Plato) and later, science, math and music. His thirst for knowledge took him into literary realms that ranged from the mundane to the esoteric. Philosophy, ancient religions, science fiction were just a few of his many varied interests. His musical tastes evolved from pop to rock, hard and soft, new and old. An often remembered image of Henry was seeing him with his cd player, listening to music, and carrying his backpack, which usually contained the latest book or two that he was reading. How he would have loved I-Pods!

As adult as he seemed at a young age, he was a child who enjoyed being a child. His parents encouraged his love of learning, and made sure that he had access to the places and things that would help him grow into the young man and eventually adult they hoped, worked and dreamed for ...books,the Bronx Zoo, Liberty Science Center, Central Park, the Museum of Natural History, the Planetarium, the Smithsonian in DC, Cub Scouts, skateboarding, swimming, boogie boarding, bowling, roller hockey, ice skating, bicycle riding, and always, Disney World.

He loved his parents, grandparents, his aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, dogs, many iguanas, and how he loved his friends! They were his brothers and his comrades, his circle of friends. With them, he shared his accomplishments, his hopes, his dreams. With them, he shared the adventures and challenges of discovering what life had to offer.

He attended Holy Family School in the Bronx, where his compassion for others led to his regular participation in the school's annual efforts to raise funds for victims of Pediatric AIDS and for which he received the Doer's Club award at graduation. Later, he attended high school at Humanities Preparatory Academy in Manhattan. That small school's setting and caring faculty challenged his intellect and broadened the possibilities of what he wanted to do with his life.

Henry was a young manchild just starting to live. He died on January 24, 2003, along with three of his friends, Max Guarino, Charles "Carlo" Wertenbaker, and Andrew Melnikov off the coast of City Island, NY.

Rest in Peace, Henry, Max, Carlo and Andrew...

We will celebrate your lives through our love

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