FITCHBURG — Sean Roy said being a third-generation firefighter alongside his older brother PJ will always be one of biggest honors of his life.
“He was an unbelievable fireman, and he cared deeply for the citizens of Fitchburg,” Sean said of Fitchburg Fire Department Deputy Chief Patrick James “PJ” Roy, who died on July 8 at the age of 45.
Public safety runs in their blood. Their late father James Roy was a Fitchburg firefighter along with his father Verne Roy and in addition, their uncle Kevin Roy was a member of the Fitchburg Fire Department, their cousin Andrew Roy is currently an FFD captain, and their cousin Bill Roy was on the Leominster Fire Department and his father Raymond Roy was with the state fire marshal’s office.
“He had passion and heart in everything that he did, from the late nights getting up when we were young kids going to building fires with my father so we could watch how the older generation did it,” Sean said of he and PJ essentially being raised in the fire service. “Me and my brother picked up a lot from that.”
Sean joked that PJ was the deputy chief of “the Walton Street fire department that we all had to be a part of whether we wanted to or not,” a common activity when they were growing up in the city.
“His big passion was firefighting, and it started at a young age,” Sean said of those childhood memories. “It was fun with all the neighborhood kids, mostly our cousins.”
They shared a room until PJ was 22 and Sean was 20 in their family’s apartment and Sean said his brother was his “best friend.”
“He taught me a lot, taught me how to be a great firefighter at night in the room,” Sean shared. “We would have great conversations late night into early morning, and we’d listen to Oldies 103.3 for a little bit of bedtime music.”
They would sit in their dining room at night listening to old records, mostly Irish music with their father whose favorite song was “Isn’t it Grand Boys” by The Clancy Brothers. Sean said he and PJ got into “a few battles” growing up but it was mostly about who was going to take the laundry from the second floor all the way to the basement or whose turn it was to take out the trash.
“Me and my brother would talk just about every day, on the phone or he’d stop by the house and we’d have a quick chat,” Sean said. “I love him and miss him so much.”
According to PJ’s obituary the lifelong city resident graduated from Fitchburg High School in 1999 and “proudly served” as a member of the FFD for 20 years and also “faithfully served” as a member of the Ashby Fire Department.
“Throughout his career, he was known for his dedication, leadership, and unwavering commitment to protecting and serving his community,” the obituary included. “Firefighting was truly his passion.”
A long line of firefighters stood shoulder to shoulder outside Our Lady of the Lake Church in Leominster at the July 15 funeral Mass for PJ and he was laid to rest in St. Bernard’s Cemetery in Fitchburg following the service. PJ leaves behind his loving mother, Denise Roy of Fitchburg; his beloved children Abigail M. Roy and James A. Roy of Fitchburg; Sean and his wife Lori and nephews Jack and Ryan; his significant other, Jenn Hureau of Ashby; and several aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family members, fellow firefighters and many dear friends.
His cousin Tim Roy’s sons Logan and Emmitt thought the sun rose on PJ.
“He wanted to hold me so bad when I was little, but I was too shy but then I let him and he was one of my favorite uncles,” 9-year-old Logan said of PJ. “I was proud he was a fireman.”
His 8-year-old little brother Emmitt said PJ “was a good fireman who did his time, but I guess Jesus needed him more than we did.”
PJ’s unwavering dedication as a firefighter, educator and advocate for cancer awareness made a significant impact.
“He did so much for so many people, whether protecting the people of Fitchburg for 20 years or teaching the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy cancer talks,” Sean said of his brother, who was well respected throughout the greater community. “He was very knowledgeable and he was an unbelievable leader, an unbelievable person. He touched so many lives with everything that he did.”
Leominster resident Yona Vaughan has been a firefighter in Fitchburg for almost 16 years. He posted a photo of him and PJ at a fire in Princeton in the wake of his colleague passing, calling him a “helluva firefighter.”
“You’ll be missed buddy. Sleep in peace,” Vaughan wrote.
He fought many a blaze alongside PJ over the years they worked together.
“Can’t say how many because it’s literally too many times to count but I can say we worked on the same group when I first started as a firefighter at Fitchburg,” Vaughan recently shared.
Sean expressed that while his family has certainly suffered “a hard loss,” the City of Fitchburg and its residents “lost their deputy chief and a great leader for the city, somebody who is very passionate about the city as I am. The fire service in general has lost an unbelievable advocate.”
A huge foodie, PJ enjoyed cooking and often could be found watching the Food Network and his favorite show, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”
“He was always ready to travel and was the life of the party. He never hesitated to lend a hand,” his obituary relayed.
Sean said he and PJ would go up to Hampton Beach every summer for a week. Sean is carrying on that tradition and was just there.
“He loved Hampton Beach and he always loved grabbing a fried dough at Blink’s,” Sean said. “Everywhere he’d go he’d make somebody laugh and smile and he always made you feel part of the conversation or part of anything he ever did.”
Sean has been with the FFD for 16 years and is the first driver of the ladder 1 truck.
“The city of Fitchburg means a lot to me and hopefully I can carry on the fireman son tradition as well as he did,” he said of continuing his family and PJ’s legacy. “You could talk to anybody in the city of Fitchburg, and they know who Patrick James Roy was — PJ to all.”
He went on to say, “this is a very big loss for our family, especially for Abby and Jimmy and me and my mother.”
“The day that I wanna go and tell him something is gonna be the toughest day because I won’t be able to, but I’ll drive down to St. Bernard’s Cemetery, and I’ll be able to tell him and my father and my grandfather something that went on that felt important to tell them.”
When asked what he will miss most about his brother, Sean said “his big smile and his laugh and all the good times that we had together.”
“I will love him forever and always.”
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