VIDEO: 2-Year-Old Boy Salutes Fallen Worcester Firefighter Christopher Roy
WORCESTER (CBS) – A little boy made a moving gesture out of respect for fallen Worcester firefighter Christopher Roy on Monday.
Roy, 36, died fighting an early morning fire on Lowell Street Sunday morning. He leaves behind a 9-year-old daughter, his parents and a brother.
PHOTOS: Fallen Firefighter Christopher Roy Honored
A memorial for Roy has grown outside the Webster Square Fire Station. That's where Sammy, at 2-and-a-half years old, showed up with his dad Monday morning.
Sammy, dressed in a firefighter outfit, dropped off a bouquet of flowers at the memorial. He then stood in salute to Roy.
His father, Sam, says his boy knows a lot of firefighters and loves to take pictures with them.
"He always hangs out with them. . . we feel bad," Sam said.
Afterward, Sammy visited firefighters at the station and got to sit in a fire truck.
Police escorted Roy's body from Worcester to the state medical examiner in Boston and back on Monday. Firefighters lined up along streets and on overpasses above the Mass Pike to pay their respects.
Roy is remembered for his passions in life: his little girl, and his dream job.
"He loved the job," said Worcester Fire Deputy Chief Martin Dyer. "Loved to learn about the job. It was evident teaching him that this was everything he wanted to be."
Throughout the afternoon, as the procession made its way from Boston to Worcester, support poured in to Roy's fire house.
"This is our town. They're fighting for us when they go into those fires," said Joan Tolson. "He went in to save somebody he thought was in there and didn't make it. That could be me. They're doing their work. They're the best. All of them."
The Worcester Firefighters IAFF Local 1009 has established a memorial in the name of his daughter, Ava Roy. Checks made payable to the AVA ROY FUND can be mailed to the Worcester Fire Department Credit Union at 34 Glennie St, Worcester, MA 01605.
