James Lusher, right, explains how is son “Jamie” looks down from the heavens during a memorial ceremony at the Sgt. John Hussey Memorial Park at the intersection of North Elm Street and Holyoke Road as his daughter Jennifer, center, listens. A memorial bench was placed in the park to honor his son who went missing on November 6, 1992. The park was chosen due to it’s close proximity to the Lusher home. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – Visitors to Westfield will now be greeted by a new site as they head down Clay Hill on North Elm Street.
Tuesday afternoon saw the dedication of a new bench in the Sgt. John Hussey Memorial, formerly Clay Hill, Park. The bench was dedicated to honor Jamie Lusher, a 16-year-old Westfield boy who disappeared in 1992 while riding his bike to his grandmother’s house in Blandford.
Following a confession from imprisoned serial killer Lewis Lent earlier this summer who claimed to have abducted the boy and dumped his body in Becket’s Greenwater Pond, a search was conducted by the dive units of the Massachusetts and New York State Police on the small body of water just off the Massachusetts Turnpike, an effort which eventually turned up empty handed.
Before a small gathering of family and friends, Jamie’s sister Jennifer Nowak unveiled the bench under the empty branches of a sugar maple in the small park yesterday, a testament to the Lusher family’s love for their son and brother.
“This bench is in the memory of my brother,” Nowak said. “Now when people are walking or riding their bikes up the hill, they will remember my brother.”
Nowak thanked the Westfield police officers in attendance, specifically Chief John Camerota and Captain Michael McCabe, and read off several of her favorite Jamie memories, recalling how her brother loved to be the center of attention.
“You could hear him before you saw him,” she said, talking as loudly as she could to speak over the roaring traffic of the state highway 40 feet away.
The bench was adorned with a wreath which surrounded a plaque reading “In Loving Memory of James ‘Jamie’ Lusher – A son, a brother and a friend.”
“Even before there was a memorial, putting a bench in a park with a sidewalk is a good thing, and what it stands for is a good thing,” said Jim Blascak of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.
“It’s tremendous,” said Camerota. “This is the territory that Jamie rode through frequently, and where he most likely disappeared from. I can’t imagine how terrible it is (to lose a child), but this memorial should help with the healing process.”
For James Lusher Sr., who was also in attendance, the healing process may never be complete.
“It’s moments like this when I’m doing better,” he said following the dedication. “I was initially opposed to it, but we lived near here, and she (Jennifer) paid for this, she brought it before city council. I now think it’s a proper memorial.”
During the dedication near the shaded placement of the bench, Lusher thanked law enforcement for their work at attempting to find his son’s remains.
“This summer was amazing. The way we were treated, I was stunned, and I’ll never forget it,” he said of the efforts of the Mass. and New York divers.
Seated atop a table of coffee and pastries were a collection of Jamie’s toys, a pre-pubescent lot of Hot Wheels, G.I. Joes and other assorted action figures, which James remarked he hadn’t seen for over twenty years, and which he would be looking to return to his son after the dedication ceremony.
“I’m going to go from there (Friendly’s) to the (Greenwater) pond with one of these,” Lusher said, eyeing the G.I. Joes. “This is really nice. But my memorial is at Greenwater Pond.”
