Keri and Jason Trinca mourned at funeral

Friends and relatives of Keri and Jason Trinca gathered to bid farewell Monday to the mother and her young son at the place that brought their family pride and joy.

On the track at Riverhead Raceway where Jason, a precocious 7-year-old, loved to race his No. 48 go-kart while his mother, Keri, 30, cheered him on, those who knew them best gathered to remember two lives cut short.

They were killed Oct. 8 on their way to that same track when Keri Trinca's sedan collided with a van at an intersection near their Manorville home.

At the raceway memorial, Jason's gray and black hearse circled the track five times as teary-eyed friends and family watched his father, Jason Trinca Sr., stand at the finish line and wave a checkered flag as his son passed by.

He waved it each time "Baby Jason's" hearse crossed the finish line. Keri Trinca's hearse was parked behind her husband.

After three times, he could no longer contain himself and dropped to his knees, sobbing. In one instant, he had lost his childhood sweetheart and his elder son.

The somber ceremony followed a funeral Mass for Keri and Jason Monday morning at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Center Moriches.

On a beautiful, crisp and sunny fall morning, hundreds of mourners filled the church. Many wiped tears and others cried softly as "Ave Maria" was sung by a member of the church choir. The Rev. Walter Kedjierski called the loss "a very difficult tragedy" and spoke about how his own recent vehicle accident reminded him how life can change in an instant.

The mother of one of Keri Trinca's closest friends could think of only one thing.

"She was born to be a mother," said Debbie Gilligan, 47, of Rocky Point, whose daughter, Jessica, was among Keri Trinca's best friends. "I have six children of my own, and you just can't imagine going through this."

The Manorville mother and son died after the sedan she was driving at about 8:25 a.m. was struck by a van near their home. The Trincas' two younger children were seriously injured. She was taking Jason to practice at Riverhead Raceway at the time of the crash.

Police said the cause of the collision is still under investigation and no charges have been filed. The van driver, Steven Vonfricken, 51, of St. James, had minor injuries.

On Jason's coffin was a decal that read "Extreme Winner," referring to the second-grader's passion for go-kart racing.

Paul Cantone of Holtsville, Jason Sr.'s uncle, stood outside the church before Mass started. He said Keri was a "very nurturing person."

He said his nephew has had a strong show of support from friends and family and he's going to need it even more after the attention dies down.

"Once you guys leave, once we leave, it's just him and his two children," Cantone said. "And that's when he'll need the emotional support."

With Gary Dymski