Portion of 25A Dedicated To Chuck Varese

Workers fixed the last bolts in place for the "Charles Varese Memorial Highway" sign on 25A and Harbor Circle in Centerport Monday morning in honor of Charles "Chuck" Varese who was killed on the road in a 2008 car accident. 

Varese, 25, was riding his motorcycle in the westbound lane of 25A on April 15, 2008, when he was struck and dragged by an intoxicated driver who had crossed into his lane. Authorities say he died instantly, but his father, ex-Northport Fire Department Chief Robert "Beefy" Varese, doesn't believe it.

"There must have been some sort of pain," said Varese, "Knowing Chuck, he probably just said, 'Aw, this is gonna hurt.'"

Chuck's passion for life and generous spirit sometimes led him to put himself in harms way for others.

"His heart was always in the right place, but his body wasn't," said Chuck's mother, Lorri Varese.

At one point, Chuck, a volunteer firefighter since a young age, pulled people out of a burning building in Northport as he was passing by. He was later presented with a government proclamation, at which time he met State Assemblyman Andrew Raia who was struck by how much Chuck had helped others in his 25 years, as both a firefighter and a proflific volunteer for the Saint Baldrick's Foundation. When Chuck died, Raia proposed that a state road be named in his honor. 

"[Raia] said he would love to put one up for every person that was ever killed by a drunk driver because if they saw that it might spark something and make someone think twice," said Lorri Varese. 

The "Charles Varese Memorial Highway" now stretches along 25A from Woodbine to Sandy Hollow and will serve as a tribute to his memory. 

“On April 15, 2008, we lost a good man,” Raia said at the dedication on Monday. “I believe it is very important that we honor and memorialize Chuck’s life. Chuck was, in every sense of the word, a valiant role model in our community."

Senator Carl Marcellino (R-Syosset) helped to pass the highway dedication legislation and added, “Chuck’s selfless acts in his service as a firefighter and community role model are a testament to his character. Men like Chuck Varese are few and far between, and his tragic death had a profound impact on all those who knew him."