EXECUTIVE BOARD

KEVIN LARE

President and Father

Kevin was born and raised in Cape May County and attended Lower Cape May Regional before he earned his B.A. in Business Administration and served as an elected official in West Cape May and Lower Township. He currently works as the Cape May County Administrator/Clerk of the Board and is responsible for the day-to-day operation of both the executive and legislative components of Cape May County government.
Kevin honors the fact that he "did not miss one sporting event that Luke ever played in and the most memorable is probably his 7th grade year in football when he played QB and the team was filled with great kids and won the championship. Off the field, our hunting trips were our best times together as Luke was the epitome of an exceptional outdoor sportsman and excelled beyond his years and was lightyears better than I. There was nothing more special than sitting in a tree stand enjoying nature, the outdoors, and Luke’s company. I have never been hunting without Luke and I am so thankful I can say that. And to top it off, it was always hilarious to see him chase his sister around the garage/yard with what we brought home."

LINDSAY LARE

Vice President and Sister

Lindsay graduated from Lower Cape May Regional and attended the University of New Haven as a member of the Women's Lacrosse team but later transferred to Montclair State University, where she also played lacrosse and graduated with a B.S. in Biology. She achieved her Master of Business Administration degree and now works in the Healthcare Advertising industry as a Marketing Lead.
Lindsay and Luke worked at the same restaurants throughout their summers in Cape May so her favorite memories with Luke are the times that they just got hang out, go for walks on the beach, or go out for their annual end-of-summer sibling "date night" before they went back to school. She will always cherish the little moments together; car rides to work, sleepovers on Christmas Eve, visits to college, playing lacrosse, and everything in between. She is proud of the fact that she took Luke to his first college visit where he was being recruited to play lacrosse and the speeding ticket they got on the way home. Luke never let her live it down... neither did her parents.

ANNETTE LARE

Secretary and Mother

Annette is originally from Louisville, Kentucky and relocated to Cape May in 1989, where she worked at the former family business, Our Daily Bread, and various retail businesses in Cape May, while earning a B.S. in Education with dual certification. She graduated Rowan University and served as an Elementary and Special Needs Teacher for 26 years before retiring in 2020.
Annette is a proud mom and loved watching Luke grow, often admiring his wit, humor and humility.

BREESE WATSON

Executive Committee Member and Uncle

Breese resides in Kentucky and attended Quincy University where he obtained a degree in Marketing, as well as the University of Louisville where he earned a degree in Advertising. He went on to be Marketing Manager for Wayne Supply Company, one of the largest Catepillar dealers in the USA, for 43 years before he retired.
One of Breese's best memories with Luke was when he was very little and the Watson clan took him on an infamous "snipe hunting" adventure on one of his Kentucky trips. Luke was so serious and into it and actually expected to catch a snipe, which are fictitious and elusive creatures that the Watsons like to prank people with. "Luke was always smiling and easy to get along with."

CLARK LARE

Executive Committee Member and Uncle

Clark grew up in Cape May County and attended Lower Cape May Regional before he went off to College Park to attend the University of Maryland. He now heads his own company, Quotient, and provides technology solutions to the United States federal government.
Clark remembers laughing with Luke when they stopped for pizza at Stumpo‘s on the Cape May mall and Luke doused his slice in hot sauce. "I thought it was hilarious given it’s not something you’d expect from a six or seven-year-old."

MARK LARE

Executive Committee Member and Uncle

Mark is a native of Cape May County and graduated from Lower Cape May Regional before he started working as a Landscaper, owning his own business, Rustic Gardens, for 20 years.

Mark reminisces on the days when Luke used to work with him and they would eat lunch together. If you really knew Luke, you knew how slow he was as doing everyday tasks, even eating, hence his nickname "Pokey". Mark remembers how slow and painful it was to watch and wait for Luke to eat his lunch that his mom had packed for him. He remembers "Luke would take apart his sandwich and put it back together and he always would inevitably give me a piece. I'm not sure if it was because I nagged him til he did....but I think he just wanted to."

MIKE MATARAZZO

Executive Committee Member and Friend

Mike is originally from North Jersey, where he attended and played baseball at Montclair State University and studied Marketing. He now works in the Advertising industry as a Digital Media Sales professional.
Mike's favorite memory with Luke is when they visited Longwood Gardens at Christmas time. They were walking through the gardens behind Kevin and the rest of the family and Luke picked up a snowball and chucked it at his dad. "It hit him square in the back of the head. Kevin was not happy but it was hilarious."

TOM CONNELLY

Executive Committee Member and Family Friend

Tom is a native of Cape May County, where he attended Lower Cape May Regional High School and later went on to Stockton University. He spent 27 years in law enforcement before retiring and beginning a second career with the Cape May County Office of Emergency Management. He is consistently active in the local community, including coaching youth football and basketball, and serving on the Lower Township Committee and the Lower Cape May Regional Board of Education.
Tom has been a lifelong friend of the Lare family and has many fond memories of watching Luke grow up. He had the pleasure of helping to coach Luke on the Lower Township Cougars football team and remembers Luke being a leader, even at such a young age. His best memories of Luke were the experiences he shared with Tom's kids, Erin and Sean, like tubing on the bay, being pulled around through the snow on an ATV or dressing as Zombies with the football team for Haunted Trails.

JOE WALSH

Executive Committee Member and Friend

Joey attended Lower Cape May Regional before continuing his education at Rowan University, where he is studying Civil Engineering and will graduate in May 2022. He and Luke had a legacy friendship that began when they played both football and lacrosse together growing up.
"Luke was a great friend of mine, he was constantly pushing me to get better, and he even took me under his wing and had me join lacrosse in 8th grade. A core memory that Luke and I share, occurred back in our junior year of high school in 2017. The two of us were sitting in class when we realized that we would be getting over a foot of snow the following day, we then spontaneously decided to go snow shoveling. We ended up going all around Cape May over the next three days shoveling any driveway we could find!"

AVA DICARLO

Executive Committee Member and Friend

Ava graduated from Lower Cape May Regional and now works at Bravado Coffee Café, a family business that opened at the beginning of 2022. She has worked hard to help get their small business off the ground and attributes their success to the rally and support of our small town of Cape May, the same way the community showed support in Luke's passing and for the Foundation.
Ava adds "I knew Luke from school, he was a grade above me and on my bus when we were younger. He was a very dedicated person to the things he liked to do, and I got to see that myself when he played lacrosse in high school. In the time that I knew Luke he was free-spirited, humble, and a genuine human being. He was blessed with a big heart and I can’t wait to see how The Luke Lare Memorial Scholarship Foundation helps kids now, and continues to do so in the future. I love seeing people come together for something like this, something Luke would’ve loved. I know doing this puts a smile on his face and I’m grateful to be a part of it!"

GUNNER LARE

Honorary Ball Boy and Best Friend

Gunner's favorite past-time is chasing Lindsay and Luke's rogue wall balls and running back and forth between them while they had a catch. He's a big fan of squeaky toys and bones and prefers his tennis balls to be launched with a lacrosse stick.

Corporate Counsel

Blaney, Donohue & Weinberg, P.C.