Stephen Frye - Fire Fighter Fatality - Montgomery, Massachusetts

Stephen Frye

Fire Chief Stephen Frye, age 59, died in the line of duty on December 5, 2017, at a hospital in Westfield, Massachusetts.

Fire Chief Frye was a volunteer member of the Montgomery Fire Department. He had 24 years of service. 

Stephen was called Steve by his family and friends.

Montgomery is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts with a population of just over 800. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

After 11:00 p.m., Stephen and other fire fighters responded to a chimney fire at a residence in Montgomery. While fighting the fire, Stephen collapsed.

Fellow responders treated him at the scene and he was rushed to a local hospital, where, tragically, he passed away. 

Florian, Patron Saint of
Firefighters, pray for Stephen
and for those who have
lost him. 

Family members describe Stephen as a man who would give you the shirt off of his back. He was the best.

The members of the Montgomery Fire Department are in mourning over the death of their brother. Stephen was a consummate professional. He was one of the good guys. He will be forever remembered.

Stephen's loved ones are devastated over his sudden and tragic death. He was loving and he was loved in return. He did his best. He will be forever mourned.

Stephen is survived by many loving comrades, friends and family members including his wife and his adult daughter and adult son who is also a volunteer firefighter.

Thank you for your service to the community, Stephen. 

Pray for all who die in the line of duty.

Pray for all who die suddenly. They are with us one moment and are gone before we can say goodbye.

Pray that Stephen is in Heaven. Pray that he is at peace and is with God. Amen.

Joseph Toscano - Firefighter Fatality - Watertown, Massachusetts

Firefighter Joseph Toscano, age 54, of Randolph, Massachusetts, died in the line of duty on March 17, 2017, at a hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

Joseph Toscano

Firefighter Toscano was a member of the Watertown Fire Department. He had 20 years of service. 

Watertown has a population of 32,000 and is part of the Greater Boston area. 

Joseph was part of a crew battling a two-alarm house fire in Watertown. During the firefight he collapsed from an unknown medical condition. 

He was rushed to a hospital in Cambridge where, tragically, he passed away. 

Joseph was raised in Massapequa, New York. He was a family man who built his family's home. He was always stepping up to help his family and friends. He liked to cook for his firefighter comrades. He worked for decades for Incarnation Camp in Connecticut. 

Florian, Patron Saint of
Firefighters, pray for Joseph
and for those who have lost him.

The members of the Watertown Fire Department are in mourning over the death of their brother. Joe was well-liked and well-respected by all. He was one of the good guys. He will be forever remembered.

Joseph's loved ones are devastated over his sudden and tragic death. He was loving and kind in spirit. He did his best. He will be forever mourned.

Joseph is survived by many loving comrades, friends and family members including his wife, Maureen, and his five children.

Thank you for your service to the community, Joe.  

Pray for all who die in the line of duty.

Pray for all who die suddenly. They are with us one moment and are gone before we can say goodbye.

Pray that Joseph is in Heaven. Pray that he is at peace and is with God. Amen.

Vanessa Marcotte - a Victim in Princeton, Massachusetts

Vanessa Marcotte, age 27, of New York City, died sometime during the afternoon of August 7, 2016, in Princeton, Massachusetts. 

Vanessa Marcotte

Princeton is a town of under 3,500 people and is located about 60 miles west of Boston.

Vanessa was on holidays and was visiting her mother in Princeton.

Vanessa went out for an afternoon jog at about 1:00 p.m. She went jogging in a wooded rural area about a half mile from her mother's home. When she did not return her family reported her missing.

Tragically, Vanessa's body was found in the late evening. She had been murdered.

If you have any information about this crime, you are urged to call the Massachusetts State Police at 508-453-7589.

Vanessa grew up in Leominster, Massachusetts. She studied communications at

Angels of God, pray for Vanessa
and for those who have lost her.

Boston University and currently worked as an accounts manager at the Google Corporation in New York City.

Vanessa's loved ones are devastated over her sudden and tragic death. She did her best. She will be forever mourned.

Vanessa is survived by many loving friends and family members who will forever miss her.

Pray for all who die suddenly. They are with us one moment and are gone before we can say goodbye.

God save us from the psychopaths. They are killing us, Father. Amen.

Pray that Vanessa is in Heaven. Pray that she is at peace and is with God. Amen.

Corey Griffin - a Good Samaritan who died in Nantucket, Massachusetts

Corey Griffin

Corey Griffin, age 27, died on August 16, 2014, in a diving accident in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Corey is one of the men responsible for the success of the "Ice Bucket Challenge" which is a campaign to raise funds for research into the devastating disease ALS.

ALS is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and is a motor neurone disease. It is often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease in the U.S.A. and Canada.

ALS involves muscle atrophy and weakness, difficulty in speaking, swallowing and breathing. It has no cure and no real treatment.

The Ice Bucket Challenge involves dumping a bucket of ice water over your head, having it filmed for posting on social media, and the donation of funds towards ALS research. One person does it and challenges a relative, a friend or a celebrity to do the same. There has been a huge positive response to this campaign in the Summer of 2014.

Corey was celebrating the fact that he had been instrumental in raising about $100,000. for the cause of ALS research. He had done this to aid his friend, Pete Frates, who has ALS.

Corey had jumped into the waters of Nantucket Harbor. He was reported missing at 2:00 a.m. He was pulled out of the water by an off-duty lifeguard and was transported to a local hospital where sadly he was pronounced deceased before 3:00 a.m.

Corey was originally from Hingham, Massachusetts. Corey had played hockey for Boston College. He graduated from Babson College, near Boston, in 2010. He had recently moved to New York City to work for RANE, an information services and technology company.

Pete Frates stated that Corey had worked his butt off for ALS in recent weeks.

The Good Samaritan reaches
out to help others in
whatever way he can.

Corey was also involved in philanthropic events in support of Boston's Children's Hospital.

Former co-workers, team-mates and friends are in mourning over the death of their friend. Corey is described as intelligent, hard-working, loving, popular and welcoming. Friends stated that he was a great friend, brother and son. He was a rising star. He will be forever missed.

Corey's family are devastated by his sudden and tragic death. They stated that he was happy over his fundraising success. He was happy that he was able to do something positive. He will be forever mourned.

Corey is survived by many loving friends and relatives including his mother; his father, Robert; his brother, Michael; and his sister, Casey.

Corey was a Good Samaritan.

The world needs more men like Corey.

Pray for all who die by misadventure.  They are with us one moment and are gone before we can say goodbye.

Pray that Corey is in heaven. Pray that he is at peace and is with God. Amen.

Michael Kennedy - Firefighter - Boston, Massachusetts

Michael Kennedy

Firefighter Michael R. Kennedy, age 33, of Hyde Park, died in the line of duty on March 26, 2014, at a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

Firefighter Kennedy was a member of the Boston Fire Department. He was stationed at the Engine 33 Firehouse. He had over six years of service.

He was known as Mike to his family and friends.

A call came in about 2:43 p.m. that a suite in the basement of an apartment block was on fire. The fire was fanned by high winds and escalated quickly. 160 firefighters responded to the scene.

Firefighter Michael Kennedy and Lieutenant Edward Walsh Jr. went straight to the basement. Within several minutes they became trapped and called "mayday". Their colleagues tried valiantly to rescue the trapped men but the super-heated air and smoke and an explosive backdraft made it extremely difficult to reach them.

Michael was found by his colleagues and was rushed to a local hospital where tragically he passed away.

All of the building's residents were evacuated safely. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Michael was a Marine Corp Veteran who had served in Iraq. When he returned to the USA he went straight to the fire department.

The Boston Fire Department is in mourning over the deaths of their brothers.

Mike was a dedicated firefighter. He was a fitness enthusiast and was into motorcycles.

He was very involved in the Department's burn foundation which helps raise funds for burn victims. He had volunteered for 7 years as a Big Brother for a 14 year old boy.  He will forever be missed by this boy and his family. 

Florian, Patron Saint of
Firefighters, pray for Mike
and for those who have lost him.

Michael led a Boston Fire Department contingent last month in traveling to Rhode Island to donate blood, join the bone marrow registry, and show support for a 6-year-old boy with leukemia. 

Michael had been a first responder at the Boston Marathon bombing. 

Friends describe him as a fun loving guy who always had a smile on his face.  He was helpful to others and concerned about others. 

Other friends describe him as kind and brave.

Michael is survived by many loving comrades, friends and family members including his mother.

Thank you for your service to the public, Michael.

Pray for all who die in the line of duty.

Pray for all who die by misadventure. They are with us one moment and gone the next.

Pray that Michael is in heaven. Pray that he is at peace and is with God. Amen.

Edward Walsh Jr. - Firefighter - Boston, Massachusetts

Edward Walsh

Lieutenant Edward J. Walsh Jr., age 43, of West Roxbury, died in the line of duty on March 26, 2014, at 298 Beacon Street in Boston, Massachusetts.

Lieutenant Walsh was a member of the Boston Fire Department. He was stationed at the Engine 33 Firehouse. He had 9 1/2 years of service.

He was known as Eddie to his family and friends.

A call came in about 2:43 p.m. that a suite in the basement of an apartment block was on fire. The fire was fanned by high winds and escalated quickly. 160 firefighters responded to the scene.

Lieutenant Walsh and Firefighter Michael Kennedy went straight to the basement. Within several minutes they became trapped and called "mayday". Their colleagues tried valiantly to rescue the trapped men but the super-heated air and smoke and an explosive backdraft made it extremely difficult to reach them. 

The fire chief ordered the building evacuated and firefighters could not reach Edward's body until hours later.

All of the building's residents were evacuated safely. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Boston Fire Department is in mourning over the deaths of their brothers.

After graduating from Watertown High School in 1989, Edward worked side jobs for a

Florian, Patron Saint of
Firefighters, pray for Eddie and
for those who have lost him.

while and attended Bridgewater State University. He later worked in finance, but he longed to become a firefighter. Both his father and his uncle were firefighters in Watertown.

Comrades describe Edward as always the first to enter a burning building. At work he led by example. He was a very competent fire officer who took his men under his wing. He got along with everyone.

He was a family man who played with his kids and contributed to his community. Friends said that he was the glue that kept old friends in touch.

His family are devastated over his tragic death. He will be forever mourned.

Edward is survived by many loving comrades, friends and family members including his wife Kristen; his two sons; and daughter.

Thank you for your service to the public, Edward.

Pray for all who die in the line of duty.

Pray for all who die by misadventure. They are with us one moment and gone the next.

Pray that Edward is in heaven. Pray that he is at peace and is with God. Amen.