Remembering John Pope

Age 53, Haydenville, Mass.
Passed away on May 3, 2020

As a CNA and a firefighter for the Williamsburg Fire Department, Pope dedicated his work to helping people.

The lifelong Haydenville resident grew up across the street from the fire department, which he joined in 1996 and worked with for the next 24 years. “He was always a fixture for the 24 years he was on,” said Jason Connell, chief of the Williamsburg Fire Department.

The department is largely volunteer-based — members can decide when to help respond to calls, Connell said. The last call Connell remembers responding to with Pope was a car crash near the town’s post office.

“At that call, he talked to a kid that lived near the accident, and that kid ended up joining as a junior fighter because of John,” Connell recalled.

Pope worked at CareOne at Northampton in the post-acute care unit for more than a decade, according to a statement from CareOne.

“As one would expect from a veteran firefighter,” David Gontaruk, administrator of CareOne at Northampton, wrote in a statement, “John ranked among the rare individuals who, without exception, are prepared to run toward a ‘burning building’ situation rather than away. This is how we will always remember John Pope — as a friendly, fearless, loyal, and dedicated nurse’s aide who placed the needs of others ahead of his own.”

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