Gloucester’s storied fishing community is no stranger to tragedy at sea.
The year brought a humbling reminder about the dangers of commercial fishing with the loss of the seven-member crew of the Lily Jean on Jan. 30. And now the last plaque of the Fishermen’s Memorial cenotaph has been updated with the names of Lily Jean’s Capt. Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo, Paul Beal and son Paul Beal Jr., John Rousanidis, Freeman Short, Sean Therrien and Jada Samitt, as well as Orin C. Capt. David R. Sutherland, Miss Sandy crewman Nicolo Vitale, and Emmy Rose crewman Michael Porper Jr. The plaque was reinstalled Friday, ahead of the annual Fishermen’s Memorial Service this Saturday, Aug. 8.
The community is invited to attend the annual Fishermen’s Memorial Service, which starts at 5 p.m. with a short procession from the Capt. Lester S. Wass American Legion Post 3 at 8 Washington St., to the Man at the Wheel statue and cenotaphs on Stacey Boulevard for the ceremony.
The Lily Jean families are still mourning their losses. But they are not alone. Gloucester has dozens of residents who lost family at sea over recent decades. They are the spouses, parents, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, as well as the large circle of friends, connected by this maritime profession.
Engraved on the Man at the Wheel’s granite base are the words: “They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships, 1623-1923,” from Psalm 107. More than 5,000 names of those who left Gloucester and were lost at sea are inscribed on the memorial’s bronze cenotaphs. The statue was commissioned by the city’s 300th anniversary committee. But fishermen’s memorial services date back at least 125 years, and likely earlier when considering the considerable loss of life at sea in the mid- to late-1800s.
Those attending are welcome to bring flowers to be scattered into the harbor for the tide to take out to sea, the very location where many thousands of fishermen remain. This legacy of the nation’s oldest fishing port remains at the heart of the ceremony.
Thelma Parks, a member of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Memorial Service committee, always has described this event as a “Memorial Day” for fishing families so their loved ones will not be forgotten.
Joseph Parisi III, a Gloucester Fishermen’s Memorial Committee member and master of ceremonies, knows the importance of the service to give families their moment; his father died at sea when Parisi was 2 years old.
The keynote speaker will be state Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, a Gloucester native.
“Speakers are normally family members or friends of someone lost at sea and who want to share their story,” Parisi said. “We usually don’t have politicians involved in the service other than the mayor bringing greetings from the city but Bruce is a Gloucester resident with ties to many people. We felt that Bruce has this long history and he knows the different families and we asked if he’d be willing.”
Fishermen’s memorial services have a long history in the city that celebrated the 400th anniversary of its founding in 2023. This year, on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, it has been noted that many of the colonial local militia were farmers and fishermen, and many residents are also descended from these early settlers.
But the Gloucester Fishermen’s Memorial commemoration waned in the late 20th century, and had become part of other memorial services over a period of years.
In the wake of the 1991 sinking of the fishing vessel Andrea Gail with its crew of six fishermen, Thelma Parks urged then-Mayor Bruce Tobey to resurrect the annual fishermen’s memorial service. Tobey agreed and orchestrated the effort to bring back that service.
“Tobey took it to heart, and kept it separate from Memorial Day or Veterans Day, and made it a special day for the fishermen,” Parisi said.
The service was formally revived in 1996, and in the time since, Parisi said it has only rained twice. This year, in case of rain, the service will be moved to the Gloucester High School feld house because of the large crowd expected to attend the event.
“The tragic loss of the Lily Jean I think has awakened people to the very real losses that have come with years of commercial fishing,” Tarr said. “I do think this is going to be an important service because it will allow us to remind folks of the importance of remembering the folks we have lost, and remember the legacy of the most historic fishing port in the world.”
Tarr said an important piece of the service is that everyone can participate, and welcome to throw a flower into the water in memory of all of those who have been lost.
“There is a significance for doing this every year,” Mayor Paul Lundberg said. “It’s symbolic of our unique connection to the sea and what has happened over 400 years. The names on the plaque carry their own solemnity, plus there is another dimension to the service because of the many people who knew these fishermen.”
Fran Mondello, chair of the Gloucester Cenotaph Committee, will be among those attending along with other committee members.
“This is always a sad occasion,” she said. “It is a very somber event but it’s such a part of Gloucester.”
Gail McCarthy may be contacted at 978-675-2706, or gmccarthy@northofboston.com.