Photos: Thousands Attend Worcester Officer's Funeral

WORCESTER, MA — Thousands of people, including police from across Massachusetts, lined the streets of downtown Worcester Thursday to say goodbye to Officer Enmanuel "Manny" Familia, who drowned during a water rescue last week.

Familia, 38, died on Friday when he attempted to rescue Troy Love, 14, as the boy was drowning in the pond at Green Hill Park in Worcester. Familia, a five-year member of the department, became the first Worcester officer to die in the line of duty in almost a decade.

Familia's funeral started near 9 a.m. with a motorcade that began at the Mercadante Funeral Home near the UMass Memorial Lakeside hospital along Plantation Street. From there, the procession continued east down Belmont Street toward Worcester police headquarters.

Near the beginning of the procession at the top of Bell Hill, Belmont Community School ESL teacher Kathy Sundstrom was weaving fabric into the chain link fence of a pedestrian bridge over Route 9. She and other teachers had learned that the procession route was going to go past the school, and so they scrambled to put up a sign and decorations for Familia.

Shortly before 9 a.m., students walked out onto the pedestrian bridge and the sidewalk along Belmont Street. One teacher went up and down the line of students, instructing them how to salute with their right hand.

Photos by Neal McNamara/Patch

Once Familia made it to Worcester police headquarters, his casket was transferred to a horse-drawn carriage. From there, the procession proceeded at a slower pace toward St. John's Church in the Canal District.

St. Vincent Hospital nurses paused their strike activities in the days around Familia's funeral. Nurses lined the procession route near the hospital holding flags and saluting as his casket passed by.

The procession attracted police from almost every department in the region, but also members of the public. Some stood on roofs and peered out from businesses. One man held a sign declaring Familia a hero.

Hundreds of Worcester police, local elected officials and members of Familia's family attended the funeral mass, which was broadcast on a loudspeaker outside the church — and on the big screen at nearby Polar Park for police officers who couldn't be inside the church. Police wore a black bands across their badges with the number "267," which was Familia's number.

Familia's funeral mass ended near 12:30 p.m. His two brothers were the last two to speak, each fondly remembering a man who, before becoming an officer, used to work removing asbestos and at Walgreen's.

With a laugh, older brother Elvin Familia recalled how Manny was fastidious about grooming, even swapping tips with Elvin's wife about skin and nail care.

"To Manny, nothing was impossible. Everything had a solution," Elvin Familia said.

The usually busy Green Street through the heart of the Canal District was closed to traffic. Instead, it was lined with thousands of officers from Massachusetts and across New England who came to say goodbye to Familia.

The funeral ended with a private burial at St. John's Cemetery in the Webster Square area.