WAKEFIELD — Wakefield Firefighters gathered at the Firefighters Monument at Lakeside Cemetery at 8:30 on the morning of Sunday June 08 to observe the annual Firefighters Memorial Sunday services. This service is sponsored by the Wakefield Firemen’s Relief Association, providing the opportunity for local firefighters, their families and friends to gather and honor the memory of the many deceased members of the Wakefield Fire Department.
Wakefield Fire Captain Sean Curran served as the master of ceremonies for the popular event which drew a large crowd on a beautiful sunny day. After marching into the cemetery from Beacon St. accompanied by a bagpiper, firefighters and their families heard an opening prayer offered by their Chaplain, Reverend Glen M. Mortimer of the Wakefield-Lynnfield United Methodist Church. Other speakers included Town Council Chair Mehreen Butts and Wakefield Fire Chief Michael J. Sullivan. Other dignitaries present included Town Council members John Carney and Jonathan Chines and Town Treasurer Edward Dombrowski. Captain Curran read a letter from Wakefield Town Administrator Stephen Maio to the audience who was unable to attend the ceremony.
Captain Curran read the Honor Roll representing eighty-nine deceased Permanent Firefighters that have served with the Wakefield Fire Department. There were two additions to the Honor Roll this year, Firefighter Arthur G. Cole Jr. and Firefighter Thomas H. Collins. Captain Curran and Fire Chief Sullivan then placed a memorial wreath at the Firefighter’s Monument followed by the playing of Taps. The Firefighter’s Monument is the final resting place of Firefighters Malcolm Burke, Thomas Collins, Charles Frost and James Greelish. A second smaller gravestone just up the road from this monument at the next intersection serves as the final resting place of Call Firefighter John Wilson, Call Firefighter David Graham, Firefighter William Tyzzer, Call Firefighter Henry Fay, Call Firefighter Robert Glass and Firefighter Joseph Meuse.
Special thanks are extended to Relief Association President Lieutenant Daniel Hancock and Secretary Firefighter Richard Bruno for organizing and making the arrangements for this event. Lieutenant Daniel Hancock also led the effort to attend to the plantings and landscaping at the Firefighter’s Monuments. Mr. Derek Robertson of Honeydew Donuts in Wakefield generously donated the refreshments for this year’s services. The department wishes to thank all those who participated in the ceremony, making it a worthy tribute to Wakefield’s deceased firefighters.