Michael J. Curtius ’87 Tuition Assistance Fund

The Fund:

Following Michael's death in December 2023, Michael's family and friends knew they wanted to help preserve his legacy.  Michael was a true Monarch and loved his lifelong MD memories and friends.  His sister Eileen '92 followed him to MD.

With that in mind, Michael's family created the Michael J. Curtius '87 Tuition Assistance Fund.  Held at the Mater Dei Monarch Foundation, this fund has been set up to provide financial assistance to an incoming freshman Monarch with a strong academic record. 

Thank you to all who have contributed to the fund thus far.  The first award will be given in the fall of 2024. Due to your generosity, the donations received beyond the initial award will be invested within the Monarch Foundation and the distribution each fall will come from monies earned from the corpus of the donations.  Meaning, this fund will remain at Mater Dei for years to come and support worthy Monarchs in Michael's memory in perpetuity.

More About Michael:

Michael, born in suburban Philadelphia, was baptized at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Morton, PA, and moved with his parents at age two to Southern California. Mike was a natural athlete and excelled at many sports and also academically. He graduated from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, where he was quarterback on the football team. He continued as quarterback at University of California Santa Barbara and later in Legnano, Italy, outside of Milan. He also coached football in Naples, Italy, and at the Claremont Colleges. Due to his gregarious nature, he was dedicated to becoming fluent in Italian at age 22. He was a huge fan of Inter Milan soccer team, along with the Los Angeles Rams football team and all Philly teams. He settled back in California in 1998, and soon helped found the Pelagic fishing gear company in Newport Beach, CA. This was the culmination of his lifelong love of the ocean, boating, and fishing. His friendly, optimistic attitude served him well as national sales manager. Mike was always open to new adventures. His fishing trips and tournaments took him worldwide, from as faraway as Australia, Christmas Island, and Hawaii, to Ascension Island, Costa Rica, and Cabo San Lucas and on to Halifax and British Columbia. He loved making friends around the world, but his base of fishing was with his brother and dad in San Diego County. Mike and his Mater Dei sweetheart, Danielle, lived one block from the beach in Oceanside with their beloved dog TJ. Mike was devoted to family and is survived by Danielle, parents Mary and Michael, brother Timothy, sisters Eileen and Kit, brother-in-law Ben, and nephews Jake, Will, and Lenny. Riposa in pace, anima bella.

Make a gift in Memory of Michael Today:
Please designate Other below and enter Michael Curtius in the text field.