TD Bank official killed in golf accident

A top executive at TD Bank N.A. died of head injuries Friday after falling out of a moving golf cart at a fund-raising event for a Delran high school.

Frank Papotto Jr., 44, of Moorestown, fell out of the cart at Rancocas Country Club Golf Course in Willingboro Township about 6:10 p.m. Friday, police said. He was airlifted to Cooper University Hospital, where he died.

George Joo, office manager with the Burlington County Medical Examiner, said the death was accidental.

Papotto began working at TD Bank, then Commerce Bank, as a teenager, bank spokeswoman Rebecca Acevedo said. During his 28-year career, he advanced to become a senior vice president overseeing the company's call-center operations from his Mount Laurel office.

"His passing has come as a huge shock for all of us," Acevedo said. "He was an icon at Commerce Bank, and now TD Bank." The company changed its name last year.

Papotto was participating as a TD Bank representative to raise money for Holy Cross High School's football team, said Rayanne Bennett, spokeswoman for the Catholic Diocese of Trenton.

Willingboro police investigating the incident did not return calls for comment.

Papotto was a member of the last foursome of the day, Bennett said. Other participants were back in the clubhouse.

Papotto was a passenger in the cart, Joo said. Bennett said she was told he had been reaching for a cell phone.

"Many folks [at the course] didn't know what happened at all," she said.

Though Papotto had lived in Moorestown for 12 years, he was a Delran native, graduating from Delran High School in 1982. He was an avid golfer and a member of the Riverton Country Club.

Papotto's sister, Lisa Neely, said the family appreciated the outpouring of support from the community.

"He was my brother, and he was a fantastic guy," Neely said. "I'll never stop loving him."

A visitation is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. today at the Moorestown Memorial Home, 334 Chester Ave. A funeral Mass will be said at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, 42 W. Main St., Moorestown. Burial will be private.

Besides Neely, Papotto is survived by his wife, Lisa; his children, Lauren, Michael, Robert, and Josephine; his parents, Frank and Janet Papotto; and a brother, Vincent.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Fund for the Papotto Children, 11000 Atrium Way, Mount Laurel, N.J. 08054, Mail Stop #02-202-01-08.