New Haven Register, Conn.
(TNS)
Oct. 28—HARTFORD — A funeral Mass for fallen Wethersfield firefighter Robert E. Sharkevich Sr. has begun.
Firefighters, some in a color guard, stood at attention outside the cavernous Cathedral of Saint Joseph as bagpipers marched. A short time later, they filed into the church. A firefighter's helmet, apparently Sharkevich's, sat atop a small table near his coffin.
People lined the streets to watch the procession, some with hands over their hearts. Motorcycles led the line of vehicles, which included buses and a fire truck carrying his flag-draped coffin.
Interment will follow at Rose Hill Memorial Park, 580 Elm St. in Rocky Hill.
Roads in Wethersfield, where the funeral home is located, Hartford and Rocky Hill will be closed, and motorists are encouraged to avoid the areas.
On Sunday, hundreds lined the street outside the funeral home to say goodbye to Sharkevich, 66, who, was a volunteer firefighter in Wethersfield for 22 years after his retirement from the Hartford Fire Department, where he worked for a quarter of a century, according to his obituary.
Sharkevich died on Oct. 22 while fighting a brush fire on Lamentation Mountain in Berlin near the Meriden line. A utility vehicle rolled over on top of the veteran, injuring three other firefighters as well.
The stubborn fire continues to burn on the mountain, which straddles Berlin, Meriden and Middletown. A fire official said Friday that it is believed to have been sparked by a campfire that was not put out properly.
Because of the large number of people expected to attend the church service, those arriving are asked to park at the Aetna parking garage at 40 Sigourney St. and make the approximately eight-minute walk to the church, said Lt. Paul Cicero, head of the Hartford Police Traffic Division.
The memorial services will cause road closures, mostly in Wethersfield, police say.
A procession will start at Farley-Sullivan Funeral Homes, 34 Beaver Road, and the nearby Silas Deane Highway, or Route 99, which will be shut down starting at 10 a.m., Wethersfield officials say.
The procession will go from Route 5/15 to Interstate 91 to Interstate 84 to the Asylum Street exit, Exit 48, in Hartford.
It then will turn onto Asylum Avenue and to Farmington Avenue to the church.
After the church service, the procession will take a different route through Wethersfield to the cemetery in Rocky Hill.
It will head east on Farmington Avenue, make a slight right onto Asylum Avenue, turn left onto Pearl Street and turn right onto Main Street. It will continue on Main, which becomes Maple Avenue.
The procession will take a slight left onto Ridge Road, crossing into Wethersfield, and take a right turn onto Nott Street and a left onto Goff Road.
It will then turn left onto Wells Road, turn right onto Ridge, and make a left turn onto Prospect Street.
It will turn right onto Griswold Road and turn right onto Maple Street. It then will turn left onto Gilbert Avenue in Rocky Hill before turning left onto Elm Street and arriving at Rose Hill Memorial Park.
As a result, in addition to the Silas Deane Highway in Wethersfield ( 10 a.m.), the following Wethersfield roads will be closed at 12:30 p.m.:
Ridge Road, Nott Street, Goff Road, Wells Road, Prospect Street, Griswold Road and Maple Street.
Gilbert Avenue and Elm Street in Rocky Hill also will be affected.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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