Suffolk police are still investigating the cause of the crash.

Tag : joint bearing
During a joint funeral at St. Peter of Alcantara Roman CatholicChurch in Port Washington, coffins bearing the remains of KevinGraff and Philip Dejana sat side by side as relatives described themen as devoted uncles and good friends.

More than a dozen mourners stood in the aisles of the packed churchduring the nearly 90-minute service.

Peter Dejana said his brother, who was also his business partner,was a "ferocious competitor" both at work and on the water.

"For him, racing was pedal to the metal. There was no other way,"said Dejana, 68, of Sands Point. "Phil and Kevin raced on Sunday.They raced to win. They didn't win. They lost. We all lost,big-time."

Dejana, 62, of Bayville, and Graff, 48, of Port Washington, diedSunday when their 37-foot, twin-engine catamaran flipped during theBattle on the Bay powerboat race off Patchogue. The boat wastraveling between 90 and 100 mph, officials said.

Suffolk police are still investigating the cause of the crash.

Graff, an electrician, and Dejana, vice president of DejanaIndustries, a facilities maintenance company, were friends and golfpartners who raced together on the Aero Express Race Team. Dejanawas married more than 40 years to his wife, Linda, and Graff wasengaged to be married.

"We ought to be celebrating their lives, not mourning theirdeaths," said Peter Dejana, who called his brother his "lifelongcollaborator."

"But for me," he said, pausing to choke back tears, "this is not atime for celebration. ... For me, this is a time for mourning."