"The worst thing that can ever happen": Wake held for fallen Waltham police officer Paul Tracey
WALTHAM – There was a sea of police at the wake for veteran Waltham police officer Paul Tracey on Thursday as the community paid its respect to a fallen officer.
Tracey was hit and killed in a crash last week that also claimed the life of National Grid worker Roderick Jackson.
Tracey's wake was held at Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted in Waltham. His funeral will be held there Friday at 10 a.m.
Officer Tracey's casket was brought from the funeral home to the church on Thursday. The four-mile procession featured a sea of blue, along with the Tracey family. His wife and two children linking arms as they walked into the church.
State and local first responders filed in two by two, including Tracey's cousin, Waltham firefighter John Kavey.
"He loved his job and did it to his fullest," Kavey said. "He was just an overall great person. Cousin, friend, father, uncle, nephew. He was always there to help and always there to support somebody and just a great kid."
Linda Guigno's husband is a retired Waltham police officer who worked with Tracey for decades.
"They were brothers, they were friends," she said. "When this happens to someone like this, an officer you do know, it's the worst thing that can ever happen."
Patrice McDonald and Cathy Hill are just two of the people who benefited from the work of officer Paul Tracey over his nearly 30-year career.
"I fell once at Costco and he came and was very kind," said Patrice McDonald of Waltham. "He's been very kind to my daughter. He was just a presence and a great police officer. This is a horrible tragedy, and it should have not happened."
The women stood outside, in line, for nearly three hours Thursday night and say they'd do it all over again. "He was always there for families, my family, this is the least we can do for their family," Hill said.
Tracey's wife is the school resource officer at Waltham High School. Waltham Public Schools are closed on Friday so members of the community can attend the funeral.
Roderick, a National Grid technician, will be remembered Saturday at a wake and funeral. Visitation begins at 9 a.m. in Cambridge with funeral services immediately after.
Peter Simon, the driver charged in the crash, is being held in jail. He's due back in court in January for a dangerousness hearing in the case. Sources told the WBZ-TV I-Team after the crash that Simon may have intentionally struck Tracey.
Waltham police are asking the public to check their cameras for any video of the crash, saying even a small detail could help in the investigation.
