'Bobby' Callegati, 17, dies after long illness

Despite numerous physical challenges, Roberto "Bobby" Callegati always managed a smile and a dedication to schoolwork and his studies, his family said.

Callegati, 17, a senior at Walt Whitman High School, died Sunday at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia after a long battle with heart and lung disease.

"He was a happy, beautiful sweet little boy that basically was always happy, even with all of his challenges and health problems," his mother, Rosa Maria Callegati, said. "He always had a smile on his face, even though he didn't feel good. He was in a lot of pain, but you never knew it because he never showed it until the end."

Callegati, of Huntington Station, enjoyed science and social studies in school, his mother said. He had started his own business, designing and creating greeting cards out of paints and colored markers, with the proceeds going to raise money for Children's Hospital.

Born at Huntington Hospital, he attended the South Huntington schools. Jacqueline Harris, assistant superintendent for student services, said Callegati was "a very special young man who was difficult not to get to know.

"He was the kind of student who made an impression on everyone who got to be in his presence," she said. "His loss is a great loss to our high school and our school district."

She recalled Callegati participating in the junior fashion show at the end of the last school year, where he modeled casual wear with his classmates.

SEE PHOTOSNotable deaths: Long Islanders we recently lost

"He was probably the star of that production," Harris said.

Callegati's mother said her son loved to use the computer and was very social at school.

"Everybody knew him," she said. "He was pretty special."

In addition to his mother and father, Giacomo Callegati, Bobby Callegati is survived by his brother, Giuseppe, 21, of Huntington Station; his grandmother and caregiver, Maria Russo, of Huntington Station; and another grandmother, Maria Callegati, of Pesaro, Italy.

Visiting will be Wednesday from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. at M.A. Connell Funeral Home, 934 New York Ave., Huntington Station. A Mass will be offered Thursday at 9:45 a.m. at St. Patrick's Church, Huntington. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations made to C.H.O.P. Cardiology, in care of Dr. Hanna, Pulmonary Hypertension Program, 34th Street and Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104.