Berlin residents Samantha Lavery Grady and her husband Patrick rode in memory of her father, Officer Peter J. Lavery. Coventry’s Ray Lavery proudly rode his father’s Honda Goldwing in the 8th Annual MPO Peter J. Lavery Memorial Run on Sunday, September 16th in Newington.
Bill Clines, his wife Ellen and daughter Stevie came from Berlin to watch the procession of more than 500 bikes as they passed by Bertucci’s on the Berlin Turnpike. “We do the run every year, but with surgery on my left hand, we couldn’t ride this year,” Bill said.
“We’re here as a family to support the Peter J. Lavery Scholarship Fund. We’re looking forward to being back out there next year,” said Ellen as she waved to friends participating in the ride. “It’s a great cause, whether you can ride or watch,” Stevie added.
Berlin Officer Richard Doski joined other members of law enforcement from across the state to serve as escorts for the 35-mile ride that began and ended at Churchill Park. The scenic route took the motorcyclists through Berlin, Cromwell, Middletown, Portland, Glastonbury and Wethersfield.
“We’re all here to support a fellow officer who was killed in the line of duty,” Doski said. “The Berlin Police Department has a tight affiliation with the Lavery family. We come out in respect and support every year.”
Lavery joined the Newington Police Department in 1988 after spending five years with the Berlin PD. He was promoted to Master Police Officer in June of 2002. Two months later, Lavery became a Motor Officer, which allowed him to do something he loved - riding a motorcycle while on duty.
On the evening of December 30, 2004, Lavery responded to a domestic complaint and was fatally shot multiple times by a violent ex-convict and former state correctional guard while descending some basement stairs to conduct a search.
The Peter J. Lavery Memorial Scholarship is open to children of Newington Police Officers, high school students attending Newington High School, Berlin High School or other local area high schools who will enter the field of Law Enforcement or Criminal Justice, and local college students currently enrolled in law enforcement/criminal justice programs. To date, $70,000 in scholarship monies has been awarded.
Donations to the scholarship fund are gratefully accepted at:
Peter J. Lavery Memorial Scholarship Fund
P.O. Box 44
East Berlin, CT 06023-0044
