Popular Nipissing Student dies in head-on collision

The following story is by Dave Helwig from our sister paper in Sault Ste. Marie, where the loss of popular student Marc Caputo is sending shock waves throughout the community.

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Sault Ste. Marie's Marc Caputo is one of two people who died last night in a crash that closed Highway 17 west of North Bay.

The accident involved a tractor-trailer and a car and occurred near Christine Lane.

Ontario Provincial Police advise that their initial investigation suggests that the eastbound car and a westbound transport collided head-on.

"The two occupants of the car, a male and a female, were pronounced dead at the scene," police said in a written statement.

The truck driver was treated and released.

Police describe weather conditions as "poor" at the time of the crash.

"The highway was shut down for approximately six hours while OPP technical traffic investigators processed the scene. The Jocko Point Volunteer Fire Department assisted in the extrication," the police statement said.

The other deceased is Caputo's girlfriend Melissa Fava.

Marc Caputo was 20.

He attended St. Basil Secondary School in the Sault and Nipissing University, the same school from which Melissa was to graduate in 2010.

The young Sault man was an avid Toronto Maple Leafs fan and extremely popular around the Nipissing campus, where he served as vice president social on the residence council.

He was an avid athlete himself, participating as a football running back and also in basketball and track.

Caputo was particularly known around St. Basil for his badminton prowess.

The news of Marc's passing has been an active topic of discussion since just after midnight among his 608 friends on Facebook.com

"I still can't believe that you're gone," says brother Mike Caputo. "You will always be remembered. Christmas definitely will not be the same without you this year and every year to come. I'll think about you everyday and I hope that you are happy now. I can't believe that this happened to you. I love you Marc and will miss you everyday. Love, your little brother Mike."

"Marc, you are my brother," adds sibling Matt Caputo. "Nothing will ever change that. You will be missed forever and nothing could ever possibly be the same. The dinner table will never be funny again. With all my heart. Matt."

"Marc, I just poked you," writes cousin Frank Caputo. "Everyday I come on Facebook I will look to see to if you poked me back, knowing it will never happen. But I can hope for it. Love you Marc. RIP"

At time of writing, there were at least three public memorial pages for Marc Caputo on Facebook.com

A public page for Melissa Fava has been accepting postings on Facebook since last night.

"Unfortunately, I did not know Melissa but I did know Marc through various classes at Nipissing," writes Courtney Davies, a fellow student at Nipissing. "I did however, get to see them together every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon in our Religions and Violence class this fall. They came into class together and left together. It was nice to witness the joy they brought to each other's lives. I am sorry for your loss. They will be missed dearly."

"From doing French projects on spaghetti to seeing you at our prom, I rarely saw you without a smile, Mel," wrote another friend, Marie La Plume. "I love how inclusive you are, how quick you are to reach out to those around you.... I am glad to know you are safe and happy forever now, Mel. You are a beautiful person. You will be missed."

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