Procession Planned For Rutland Detective Who Died Of Coronavirus
RUTLAND, MA — A memorial service for the Rutland police detective who died after contracting coronavirus will take place this week. Det. John Songy, 48, died on May 29 at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester.
According to Songy's obituary, a wake will be held Wednesday in Holden, and a funeral will happen Thursday at St. Patrick’s Church in Rutland. The service will be followed by a procession to the Rutland police building, where mourners will partake in a moment of silence. The service will be livestreamed on the St. Patrick’s Facebook page. Songy will be buried in a private ceremony at a cemetery in Paxton.
Songy and his wife were both diagnosed with coronavirus on April 23. He was hospitalized May 2 and placed on a ventilator a week later. During his treatment, Worcester County residents held rallies to support his recovery.
Songy, a Louisiana native, was first hired by Oakham police after graduating from the Quinsigamond Community College criminal justice program. He joined Rutland police in 2012.
As of Monday, 7,035 Massachusetts residents had died of COVID-19 over the last few months. More than 11,300 Worcester County residents have been diagnosed with the virus out of a total 100,805 statewide.
This article originally appeared on the Worcester Patch
