The couple, who have a 4-year-old son Nicholas, had been estranged and were hoping to…
By Kathianne Boniello
When John Kondogianis and his wife Marisa Rodgers glided through the calm waters of Little Neck Bay July 11, the pair were out for more than a nice evening on the bay.
The couple, who have a 4-year-old son Nicholas, had been estranged and were hoping to reconcile out on the water, Kondogianis’ lawyer said Saturday.
But the hopeful night ended in injury and death for the couple, whose 1990 Bayliner collided with Douglas Manor teen Robert Arnold’s 1996 Sea Ray.
Kondogianis, 36, was killed and his wife, Marisa Rodgers, 29, was critically injured in the boating accident, which also killed Little Neck teen George Lawrence earlier this month.
About 150 mourners gathered for a somber funeral service in Flushing Saturday to remember Kondogianis, an independent contractor who lived in Elmont.
Lawyer Jack Glasser said Kondogianis and Rodgers were hoping to repair their strained marriage that night. Glasser also said Rodgers, who has been in critical condition at North Shore University Hospital since the accident, did not know her husband was killed.
Family and friends sat quietly through the short funeral mass at St. Mary’s of the Nativity Church in Flushing, many hugging and crying outside the Parsons Boulevard church when the service ended.
Police arrested Arnold at the scene of the accident and charged him with three counts of boating while intoxicated, but blood tests later showed the teen had no drugs in his system and little alcohol. Charges against him were dropped last week.
Law enforcement sources said investigators had found a small amount of crack cocaine on the boat owned by Kondogianis, who had two previous arrests for drug possession in Queens.
But Kondogianis’ family painted a picture of a compassionate family man.
“We knew he was a kind person who struggled to be a better person,” Kondogianis’ brother, Steven, told those who filled the church. “He was a loving father, a wonderful husband. We pray John will find peace now.”
After the service Kondogianis’ younger brother, Andrew, said “he’s not that person they’re making him out to be.”
Father Kevin McBrien described Kondogianis’ wit and sense of humor as well as his marriage to Rodgers “following many months and years of dating.”
John Kondogianis is survived by his wife and son Nicholas, 4, as well as his brothers Steven, Andrew and George, and his parents Eloise and George.
Reach reporter Kathianne Boniello by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 146.
