Henry Breckenridge, a seven-year veteran of the city’s Police Department, died last week from complications of a non-emergency surgery. He was 40.
Breckenridge earned the nickname “mayor of Peabody” because he seemed to know and love everyone he came across.
“I knew he helped and knew an incredible amount of people and the well wishes and the outreach have confirmed how much he meant to the city of Peabody,” Breckenridge’s brother Robert wrote in a Facebook post.
A GoFundMe for Breckenridge’s family, launched in the days after his death by his sister-in-law Danielle, has raised more than $30,000 in just under a week.
Police Chief Tom Griffin recalled Breckenridge fondly in a statement posted to the department’s Twitter account.
“Henry was one of the nicest and most gentle people I have had the honor to know,” Griffin said. “The Breckenridge family is devastated and Henry’s brothers and sisters in law enforcement support them and share in their grief.”
Prior to joining the department, Breckenridge worked for Tanner City Auto and Peabody Municipal Light Plant. He then worked as a resource officer at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School and a reserve officer, before spending the past seven years as a patrolman.
Griffin called Breckenridge an “outstanding police officer” who had a “firm grasp” on community policing.
Breckenridge shared a special bond with the city’s youngest residents, Griffin said.
“There has been an outpouring of support and tributes in his honor from many young people whose lives he has impacted in a positive way,” he wrote. “These are testaments to the caliber of his character, which include authenticity, kindness, and compassion.”
Mayor Ted Bettencourt, who said he coached Breckenridge in Little League, said the loss is not just one for the Police Department, but for the entire community.
“He knew so many people in our city and really made an impact in so many positive ways,” Bettencourt said. “This is a devastating blow and we are really going to miss him.”
Breckenridge was a star linebacker for Bishop Fenwick High School football and was honored as an Item All-Star in 1999, winning an MIAA Division Four Super Bowl with the team that season before becoming a standout with the East Stroudsburg University Warriors football team. He later returned to Fenwick as a football and basketball coach.
The union representing the city’s firefighters, Local 925, said Breckenridge took “great pride” in cementing the relationship between the Police Department and the community at large.
“Henry was always incredibly helpful on calls and always had a tremendous smile that could brighten any room he walked into,” the union wrote. “Henry, you were taken from us far too soon.”
