Funeral to be held Friday for Randolph officer, ' a great man' killed in Route 3 crash
RANDOLPH – The 61-year-old police officer killed in a rollover crash on Route 3 last weekend will be remembered as a family man, a mentor and a friend, Police Chief Anthony Marag said.
"You can't find anyone to say a bad word (about him)," Marag said Tuesday. "He was a foundation for this department."
Police officer Michael Beal, a 35-year veteran of the force, was killed in a crash in Hingham on Saturday on the way to pick up his wife, Carol. They were planning to attend their youngest daughter's graduation from nursing school at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.
More than $53,000 has been donated to an online fundraiser at tinyurl.com/bealfundraiser to support the Beal family, including his wife and eight children.
"(His daughter) Thierry, onstage searching for her parents in the crowd, located her brother Liam in tears. As you can imagine, no words are able to convey how a day of celebration turned into a living nightmare," wrote Daniel Zaiter, Beal's friend and co-worker.
The crash took place near Exit 35 on Route 3 in Hingham shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday, May 14, State Police said. First responders found Beal in the road and his car on its roof in the median, according to a statement by Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A second vehicle was in the breakdown lane of Route 3 south with heavy front-end damage, Cruz said. The female driver was taken to South Shore Hospital with minor injuries.
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State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County district attorney's office are investigating the crash. A spokesperson for the Plymouth DA did not return an email seeking more information.
Beal's legacy
Marag said Beal led by example, and was a role model and calming influence in the department.
"He was a caring and humble officer. He really was what you would want in a police officer in terms of demeanor, dedication to the job," Marag said.
He said Beal was a family man and always put his children first.
Marag, who has been with the department for 26 years, recalled working the same shift as Beal when he entered the department. He considered Beal a mentor and, while Marag eventually became shift supervisor and then chief, he said he saw Beal as a friend above all.
"It's really that mentality of how to treat people," Marag said. "I think the officers that are the best are the ones that carry themselves a certain way, on and off duty. The bottom line is that if you're a good person and a good friend and family man, you'll be a great officer. That's what Mike's legacy is. That's what we want every officer to be."
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In a statement, Town Manager Brian Howard said Beal was "kind, caring, humble, empathetic and giving."
"He embodied what we all strived to be," Howard said. "Mike was someone whose purpose in life was in service to others. The Town of Randolph has lost a great man."
Beal, who lived in Norwell, is survived by his wife of 36 years, Carol; children Courtney, Brittany, Kellsey, Kiernan, Liam, Ainsley, Hayley and Thierry; and grandchildren Steven, Salvatore, Finley, Michael and Maeve.
Funeral services for Beal will be Friday. Details haven't been announced.
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Reach Alyssa Fell at afell@patriotledger.com.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Community grieves Randolph police officer Michael Beal killed in crash
