Fitchburg vaccine clinic dedicated to longtime health professional Jeffrey Stephens

FITCHBURG — A vaccine clinic in Fitchburg will honor a Leominster resident who worked in the health departments in both cities and unexpectedly died last month.

Be PAWsitive Therapy Pets, Friends of Fitchburg DOGS Inc. and Second Chance Animal Services are sponsoring the low-cost clinic from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 1 at the Fitchburg Fire Department headquarters, 33 North St.

The clinic is dedicated to Jeffrey Stephens, 50, who died Aug. 11 after suffering an aneurysm in his spleen.

“He fought hard and long but his body was just too tired,” Stephens’ wife, Deana, wrote on a GoFundMe page raising money for his hospital bills. “He was surrounded by his family. He touched so many lives and helped so many people. Your support has shown just how much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Until we meet again my love, you will be in my heart forever.”

“Jeff organized the first clinic in 2011 with our volunteers,” said Sally Cragin, director of Be PAWsitive and a Fitchburg city councilor. “He had wanted a pet vaccine clinic in Fitchburg for many years, and put all the personnel together.”

Vaccines for DA2PP (dogs) and FVRCP (cats) are available at no charge, while rabies vaccines are available for $18 each and microchips for $22 each. Advance registration and prepayment, if needed, are required by visiting the Second Chance Animal Services website, secondchanceanimals.org.

According to Cragin, a donation basket will be available at the Oct. 1 vaccine clinic to provide financial assistance for the education of Stephens’ children, Peter and Bridget.

Donations to the Stephens Children Education Fund can also be made by mailing a check payable to Deana Stephens to c/o Vinny Miola, 1 Amber Road, Westminster, Mass., 01473.

An ‘incomparable’ man

When he died, Stephens was about to wrap up his first year as Leominster’s director of public health. That followed four years as health director in Westford, two years as the town’s director of environmental services and 15 years as the code enforcement agent in Fitchburg.

“He did not work for the city of Leominster for all that long ... but his impact here was felt by many,” City Council President David Cormier said at the first council meeting after Stephens’ death. “In that short amount of time he was very, very, very proud to work for the city of Leominster. As soon as he got to work here, he told everyone that this, this was the place for him. This was where he wanted to probably end his career.

“He was very happy here, he was proud to work here and that pride was seen by many that he worked with every day,” Cormier continued. “I certainly had a few dealings with him since he’s been with the city, and (he) was very wonderful to work with. And he’s going to be a great loss to the city of Leominster.”

Cragin called Stephens, “incomparable, relentlessly capable, thoroughly hilarious and dependable ... I learned a lot from him about public health, also geology. I never had a conversation with him where I wasn’t at some point or another weak with laughter. He was a good friend, a remarkable public servant and a joy to spend time with.”

For the love of hockey

Leominster Councilor Pauline Cormier said she knew about both Stephens’ work in Fitchburg and his love of hockey, on the ice and in the street.

“He was the consummate professional,” Cormier said. “He loved his work. He was very dedicated to his work. The city is going to miss out on having a great leader here in the city, but I can tell you the way he was with his work was the way he was with every aspect of his life. Great family man, dedicated to his kids, dedicated to the sport.”

Stephens played and coached at both Leominster’s dek hockey center, which sits along Route 2, and the Fitchburg Street Hockey league. In Leominster, he was also a willing mentor for younger coaches.

“He did everything we ever asked of him to do,” Cormier said. “He would take younger coaches under his wing and guide them up. The way he lived his everyday life outside of work, and with his work, I think the city itself is going to miss it. I know I can speak for myself and a lot of people from hockey that already miss him dearly.”

‘Hands-on’ approach

Stephens graduated from Fitchburg High School in 1990, where he ran track and field and was inducted into the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and environmental science from Fitchburg State University in 1996.

Councilor Susan Chalifoux Zephir, who stepped down in the spring as executive director of Ginny’s Helping Hand and Food Pantry in Leominster, concurred that Stephens was both helpful and professional, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“He was very much hands-on, out there talking to businesses, helping people, providing COVID test kits when we couldn’t get any — and we had people lined up at our door around the holidays — test kits, KN-95 masks,” Chalifoux Zephir said. “He was a real big help. And he offered that kind of help. I didn’t have to chase him.

“After we ran out of the initial supply of test kits, we still had people who really needed them,” she added. “Any time I called him up, he was very, very responsive, very responsive, and immediately offered assistance. And if he didn’t have what we needed, he went elsewhere to look for it.”

Bill Brady, Ward 1 councilor and owner of Brady’s Restaurant in downtown Leominster, said Stephens left big shoes to fill.

“We are going to miss him,” Brady said, “and hopefully the people that come in his footsteps will have the foresight to partner with people,” like Stephens did.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Vaccine clinic to honor longtime health professional Jeffrey Stephens