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Candlelight Vigil Held For Pete Frates In Beverly

BEVERLY (CBS) – People in Beverly gathered to remember Pete Frates, an ALS advocate and the inspiration behind the Ice Bucket Challenge, who died Monday.

There were tears and hugs at a candlelight vigil on a rainy night as more than 100 people in Pete Frates' hometown embraced his family and remembered the man who dedicated the last years of his life to finding a cure for ALS.

"A beautiful journey. His journey unfortunately ended now on this earth," said John Frates, Pete's father. "I'm convinced that he's right now saying 'There it is. Can't you see it? There's the cure.' Just motivating somebody to look at it."

Pete Frates vigil
A candlelight vigil was held in Beverly for Pete Frates (WBZ-TV)

Frates, a St. John's Prep and Boston College graduate and prominent athlete, lived for seven years with ALS, his body deteriorating, but his mission only growing, raising millions of dollars for research. Pete knew his work wouldn't save his own life.

As his mother, father, and brother stood surrounded by their community at Pete's Park, they reminded everyone to live like Pete.

Pete Frates
Pete and Julie Frates . (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)

"Be kind to one another. Conflict doesn't result in anything good," said Nancy Frates, Pete's mother. "If there's one thing that Pete stood for, it was goodness. He would always choose the path that was good."

A funeral mass will be held at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish in Chestnut Hill on Friday Dec. 13 at 11 a.m. A celebration of life will be on the North Shore at a later date.

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