Candles pictured on Tuesday, September 23, 2025. (Sebastian Restrepo/SRestrepo via TNS)
(Tribune News Service) — A retired fire lieutenant from Gloucester, Mass., who died last week, days after being hit by a Lowell police cruiser, was remembered in his obituary as a “lifelong servant of country, community, and family.”
Daniel Kennedy, 60, died on Feb. 11 in Burlington, after being hit by a cruiser near the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus, where he had enrolled as a student after retiring from the fire department. An “avid reader and learner,” Kennedy was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the university, with the goal of working with veterans and their mental health.
Himself a veteran of the Marine Corps, Kennedy was a member of one of the first units on the ground during Operation Desert Storm.
“He deeply cherished his travels and dear friendships made through his time in the Corps,” the obituary reads.
When he returned to the U.S., Kennedy met the woman who would become his wife and moved to Gloucester, where he joined the fire department. In 2014, Kennedy became the city’s first ever fire lieutenant, a role the obituary says he “studied and worked hard for and was proud to represent the city he loved.”
Kennedy retired in 2023, after 28 years with the department.
Kennedy’s two daughters were the “center of his world,” the obituary recalled.
Thanks to his unique work schedule, Kennedy served as “go-to carpool driver, field trip chaperone, and talent show stage manager.”
“He encouraged the girls to try everything and never count themselves out, and was there to cheer them on no matter the outcome,” the obituary reads.
Outside of work, Kennedy had many hobbies, with a particular fondness for anything involving the outdoors or creativity. He loved playing chess and other games with his daughters, going to the movies and visiting history museums.
Kennedy also enjoyed model airplanes, tending his garden, learning to cook and traveling the world, the obituary recalled.
Visiting hours for Kennedy will be held at the Greely Funeral Home in Gloucester on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. His funeral mass will be held at St. Ann Church on Friday at 10 a.m., with a burial at Dolliver Memorial Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the obituary asks that donations be made to the Gloucester Fire Department Relief Association or Bishop Fenwick High School, where Kennedy’s two daughters went to high school.
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