21°
Peabody Officer Henry Breckenridge died unexpectedly last month from complications from surgery, his family said.
More than 1,000 people, some of whom waited three hours in the rain, turned out to the funeral of the man who was so popular he earned the nickname the "Mayor of Peabody," according to the Peabody Police Department.
Hundreds of community members also donated over $40,000 to two GoFundMe campaigns honoring Breckenridge, including one that will fund an endowed scholarship in Breckenridge's name.
The scholarship fund will help a future student at East Stroudsburg University, a four-year university in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, where Breckenridge played football and earned his bachelor's degree in business and marketing.
Read more: Peabody Police Officer Dies Tragically, Community Rallies To Help Family Of Man 'Loved By Many'
As well as doling out financial support, the community showed up with messages of love, support, and grief.
The Peabody Fire Department outfitted the Peabody police station and Breckenridge's cruiser with mourning buntings.
"Our first responder community is a tight-knit one, and for that, we are grateful," a post on the Peabody Police Department's Facebook page said.
The Massachusetts State Police assisted Peabody police with protocol and procedure for Breckenridge's farewell — which turned into a community-wide event, with over 400 public safety officials attending a walk-through and over 1,000 people attending his wake.
"His family was also particularly comforted by the fact that our officers volunteered to stay with Henry around the clock until the funeral," Peabody Police Department said in a social media post. "Everyone should be proud of the way our police department and our citizens represented themselves to Henry’s family. This was a very difficult event for us to deal with, but we gave Henry an honorable send-off."
Other organizations, businesses, and community members doled out food, resources, messages, flowers, cards, and other memorial gifts to fully surround the police department with support.
Some of the memorials will stay in place forever. Breckenridge's cruiser, car 16, will keep a memorial decal emblazoned on its back windows. The banner that hung outside his funeral service will stay in a room inside the police department as well.
"Henry will not be forgotten," the Peabody police said.
Click here to view the GoFundMe for Breckenridge's family. Click here to view the GoFundMe for Breckenridge's memorial scholarship.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Bristol and receive free news updates.
