Massed firefighters salute as pallbearers carry Kevin Regan’s casket into Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church at the start of his funeral services Saturday. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
WESTFIELD – Kevin Regan, for 43 years a city firefighter, was laid to rest Saturday amid an outpouring of love and respect from his family, colleagues and friends.
Regan died tragically Dec. 27 while crossing a street on a foggy night in Yarmouth when he and his fiancée – and 34-year sweetheart – Lynda Cavanaugh, were struck by a van operated by a man later charged with vehicular homicide while operating under the influence of liquor.
Westfield Fire Chief holds a salute as her brother’s casket is moved from Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church after his funeral Saturday. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
Uniformed firefighters from as far away as Broomhall, Pennsylvania, came to honor Regan with area departments representing Montgomery, Russell, Agawam, Easthampton, Northampton, West Springfield, Holyoke and Pittsfield.
Regan loved Cape Cod and spent a great deal of time there where he was so well respected that fire departments from Dennis, Yarmouth and Hyannis were represented at his funeral. Also represented were departments from the eastern part of the Commonwealth including Boston and Somerville.
The Boston Fire Department sent their color guard to honor Regan, standing outside Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church for more than an hour in the freezing weather.
Inside the church was packed with mourners including such dignitaries as U. S. Rep. Richard Neal, State Sen. Donald Humason, State Rep. John Velis and Westfield Mayor Daniel M. Knapik.
Rev. Daniel S. Pacholec, pastor of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church, offers a final prayer at the internment ceremonies for Kevin Regan at St. Mary’s cemetery Saturday. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
Regan’s Pastor, Rev. Daniel S. Pacholec quoted many of Regan’s colleagues when he referred to Regan as “a fireman’s fireman” and noted his concern for others, particularly other firefighters, as evidenced by his service as president and vice president of the union representing city firefighters and on the city retirement commission.
Knapik also noted Regan’s service on behalf of his brethren particularly in his role as a contract negotiator for his union. He said that the mention of his name “sent shivers down the spines of our city negotiators.”
“He made us all better and he made us remember, as politicians, our obligations to our public safety personnel” he said. “He was a true master of the art of negotiation. And, in fact, I would say that he was the grandmaster.”
Knapik was visibly moved as he struggled to keep his voice from breaking when he concluded saying “Thank you, Kevin, for all you’ve done for all of us.”
Regan was also eulogized by Ed Kelly, the president of the Professional Firefighters of America, who remembered meeting Regan on a beach in Dennis.
“He taught me what was important” he said. “I’m one of the many many people who Kevin Regan left better than he found.”
Regan’s brothers, Chris and Jerry, also shared memories of their brother.
Jerry said “this is a real sad day for our family, for our city and the commonwealth” but remembered both the way his older brother “tortured me” as a child but also remembered his compassion for others, telling a story about how his brother had once refused a speaker’s honorarium and instead diverted the funds to the family of the woman who died when the Big Dig collapsed.
Members of the Regan family attend the internment ceremonies for Kevin Regan at St. Mary’s cemetery Saturday. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen
He also shared a story about Regan’s response when, at Saratoga, a clerk mistakenly overpaid him for a winning ticket.
He said that Regan immediately stopped at a drug store to buy a shaving kit to “shave his mustache off so they wouldn’t recognize him when they went back the next day.”
Chris recalled his brother’s trip to a “little concert” at Woodstock and “a little ball game in Boston… Game Six against the Cincinnati Reds.”
“He carried that ticket with him his whole life” he said.
“He had a gruff exterior but inside he was really nice”, Chris said.
He concluded saying “This is it, Kevin. There’s no more bells, no more whistles, no more tones. There’s no more radios or sirens or air horns or pellet guns. For all these years, you’ve driven us. … Now it’s time for all of us to drive Kevin, to take him home.”
