Megan E. Santa Croce

Megan Elizabeth Santa Croce, of Port Dickinson, born June 15, 1995, passed away on November 14, 2018 with her parents and devoted boyfriend by her side. She is survived by her adoring parents, Roy and Molly Santa Croce, Port Dickinson, as well as her loving siblings, Greg, Roy Jr, and Olivia. She was predeceased by her Godfather and Uncle, Donald F. Santa Croce of Newtown, PA and her Great Uncle David Rollo, of Tulsa Ok., as well as her precious puppy, Harrison. She leaves behind two sets of grandparents, Don and Roberta Santa Croce of Silverdale, PA and David and Peggy Bagwell of Silver Spring, Md. Also Aunts, Uncles, and cousins, Matt and Diana Overton, Cindy and Dave Kern, Kathy and Ainslee Santa Croce, Roberta Santa Croce, Rebecca and Matt von Kerczek and Jack, Natalie, and Evan, Aimee and Jeff Wentzell and Jeffrey and Jaxson, Dani and James Freeman and LJ and Jayden, Andrew and Chelsea Overton, Tim Overton, and Pat Overton. She is survived by “third Grandma” Jan Kloda of Chenango Forks and a loving boyfriend, Adam Henkiel of Vestal, NY. Megan graduated from Chenango Valley High School in 2013. She graduated from Binghamton University in 2017 with a triple major in French, Linguistics, and International Studies. She spent a semester studying abroad in Montpelier, France. Her plans to teach for a year in Honduras with a Catholic Outreach program were thwarted in June 2017 by a reoccurrence of cancer. Her first battle with cancer was in 2010 at the age of 15. She was cancer free for 7 years. She fought this second bout of cancer for 17 months with determination, strength, poise, and optimism. Megan loved to sing and was a natural on stage. She is remembered for her roles at CV High School as well as with the BU summer theater program. She was a member of the Treblemakers, an a cappella group at Binghamton University for 4 years. Her Trebz friends became an important part of her college life and beyond. Megan loved to work. She usually had at least 2 jobs, including working in the President’s office at BU, working as a receptionist at Nick’s Hair Salon, dog walking, substitute teaching, working as a summer camp counselor, and babysitting. Her ultimate goal was to teach English as a Second Language to young children. Incredibly, she applied and was accepted to grad school for her Master’s in the middle of multiple surgeries and chemotherapy last Fall. She simply Skyped her interview from her hospital bed. She was to start grad school this September but had to defer due to her failing health. Megan loved to travel above almost all else. Her dream was to teach all over the world and live many different places. She cherished her family and friends. She dropped everything for a friend in need. She was a thoughtful daughter and sister to her family. Her smile was bigger than the world, and she smiled often and easily. Her sunny attitude would make your day if you were lucky enough to run into her. She had a strong faith in God and an optimistic view of life that was truly infectious. She spread this goodness over all who met her, even those who encountered her briefly. The world will miss her terribly. To honor her, please brighten the day of others with a smile and a happy comment, even when you don’t feel like it. Please don’t postpone things you’ve always wanted to do. Do them. Travel. Spend a little money on special experiences. Try something new. Discover what your gifts are and share them with the world. Very special thanks to her incredible team of doctors who tried so desperately to save her. Dr. Tom Renaud and Dr. Regina Macatanguy at Sloan Kettering 2010, Dr. Paul Sabbatini and Dr. Dennis Chi at Sloan Kettering 2017. Dr. Readling at Lourdes Hospital, and Dr. Peter Frederick at Roswell Park in Buffalo. And the nurses who cared for her lovingly, particularly at Sloan Kettering, where she unfortunately was a frequent guest. Extra special thanks to Dr. Dennis Chi who fought the beast with his hands and a scalpel three seperate times and courageously thought outside the box to give our girl a chance. Thanks and honor also go to Adam Henkiel, who loved Megan until the end. He devotedly cared for her and helped to create a life she loved over the last 17 months. Family will be receiving friends Sunday November 18th from 2 to 6 pm at St. Francis Church in Hillcrest. Funeral Mass is November 19th at 11am at St. Francis with reception to follow. There will be a celebration of Megan in the cafeteria of St. Francis Church on Sunday November 18th from 2 to 7pm including music, food, and board games, especially for her friends. Megan requests bright colors, no black. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to A Room to Heal, P.O. Box 503, Vestal NY, 13851 or Sean’s Standing Strong Memorial Fund, www.seanstandingstrong.org. Our precious darling, we will miss you so!