FRAMINGHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - Thanksgiving day was difficult for the Devlin family on Thursday.
But on Friday, they were called to the Massachusetts State Police barracks in Framingham to learn that the mortgage on their Wilmington home had been paid off.
Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a nonprofit that pays off mortgages of first responders killed in the line of duty, provided the gift to Thomas Devlin’s family.
The veteran trooper died after he was struck by a vehicle on a highway in Billerica. The incident happened in 2018 and he died in early September of this year at age 58.
“Tommy used to come home from a really hard day at work and say, ‘You have no idea how much this house means to me. It’s my place of love and peace,” his wife Nancy recalled on Friday.
Nancy stood alongside other family members, including Devlin’s son and daughter. All present were wearing Devlin’s ID number printed on their face masks.
Nancy said it was the first time in 29 years that the family was without Thomas on Thanksgiving. Their daughter Rachel said that paying the mortgage was a huge burden after her father died.
The Devlin’s are among 36 families that will be aided by Tunnels to Towers. They hope to award more families financial help with their mortgages from now until New Year’s Day.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)