Thousands of firefighters from across Massachusetts gathered in Worcester Saturday morning to pay their respects to their 36-year-old brother who was killed in the line of duty.
A sea of uniformed and white-gloved officers marched to St. John’s Church and stood outside during the Mass for firefighter Christopher Roy.
The firefighter’s funeral was steeped in tradition and included the last bell ceremony which signifies a brother has come home for the last time.
A private burial for family and colleagues will be held at Notre Dame Cemetery.
It has been a week full of tributes, as the Worcester community and Roy family prepared to say a final farewell.
Dozens of people have visited Roy’s station on Webster Street to pay their respects. Many of them never knew the fallen firefighter but, as Roys final call approaches, they are adamant that he will never be forgotten.
Flowers, candles and Christmas wreaths all adorn the Worcester fire station to show their appreciation for the sacrifice he made on Sunday while fighting a fierce 5-alarm blaze.
“In the middle of the night and early hours of the morning last Sunday, there was no peace in Main South,” Reverand Walter Riley said in his Homily. “There was certainly no peace on Lowell street. There was confusion, there was heartache, there was lots of yelling, a couple of maydays, there was fear, attempts at a quick rescue. If this is what it looks like to arrive at the words ‘they are at peace’ I say no thanks.”
Friends say he was a hard worker, dedicated to his job, but above all, a good father.
“He literally exemplified friendship. He put others before himself and he could move a mountain with his smile,” Roy’s friend and fellow firefighter Sean Sulivan said.
A two-year veteran on the team, Roy is also survived by his parents and his brother, and his 9-year-old daughter Ava, who was said to be the light of his life.
A memorial fund has been set up in his honor for his daughter called the Ava Roy fund. Any donations can be sent to the Worcester Fire Department.
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