HAVERHILL — A wake and funeral are planned late this week for Katelyn Tully, 32, a Haverhill police officer and 2012 Methuen High School graduate who died Friday.
Tully, whose father is retired Lawrence police Officer John Tully, died unexpectedly, according to her obituary released Monday online by the Nichols Funeral Home of Wilmington.
An Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, Tully will be buried with military honors.
The death of a Haverhill police officer is under investigation by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office, although foul play is not suspected, officials said. Neither the District Attorney Paul Tucker nor Haverhill police Chief Robert Pistone have identified the fallen officer.
Asked Monday if Tully’s death was related to the one being investigated, a spokesman for Tucker’s office had not returned a request for comment as of deadline.
Tully became a police officer after serving in the Army “bravely” in Afghanistan for six months. She served on the Haverhill Police Department’s police honor and military honor guards, according to her obituary.
She was described as “a dedicated officer whose presence left a lasting impact on everyone she served beside. She was more than a colleague; she was family. Her quiet strength, unwavering integrity, and fierce loyalty to her duty set a powerful example for all of us,” members of the department are quoted as saying, also in the obituary.
“She approached each challenge with grace and resilience, never backing down when others needed her most. She was caring, considerate, and compassionate, qualities that defined her both in and out of uniform,” the obituary continues. “Whether offering a listening ear, lending a helping hand, or leading with empathy, she embodied everything we hoped for in an exceptional officer. Her absence leaves a void that words cannot fill, but her legacy lives on in the lives she touched and the hearts she strengthened. We will carry her memory with us always.”
She is also survived by her mother, Karen Tully of Merrimac, her sister, Amanda Tully, and her companion, Joe Curley of Kingston, New Hampshire. She was the loving girlfriend of Alex MacMullen of Haverhill, formerly of Groveland.
Family and friends are invited to attend visiting hours at the Nichols Funeral Home, 187 Middlesex Ave. (Route 62) in Wilmington from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Thomas of Villanova Church, 126 Middlesex Ave., Wilmington, at 11 a.m. Friday.
Interment with military honors will follow at Wildwood Cemetery, Wilmington.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Katelyn’s memory may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8516, or online at https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter/X @EagleTribJill and on Threads at jillyharma.