Fallen Peabody Firefighter's Family Getting Big Assist

PEABODY, MA — Dan Pimenta spent more than two decades helping people, whether in his role as a Peabody firefighter, a rider in the fight against MS, or as a husband and father of two. More than a year after his death, the community is continuing to honor his legacy and support his family.

This Saturday a group will help replace his family's fence that was torn up in a winter storm. The replacement, supplies, and some of the labor will come as a gift from Olsen Curtis Fence Co. out of Salem. The rest of the manpower comes from Pimenta's friends from the Peabody Honor Guard and Fire Department.

To Tammy Hamilton, who is best friends with Dan's wife, Donna, it's just an extension of the kindness Dan Pimenta had for everyone.

"Dan was that guy who would have been there for anybody - that's why it's coming back to him full force," she said.

Hamilton reached out to Peabody Fire Inspector Chris Dowling, asking if he would be willing to push things forward. For Dowling, it was a no-brainer. He reached out to the boys to give up a weekend in helping out their old pal's family - something they have been quick to do ever since his death last July.

The response, he said, was overwhelming.

"If this was someone else's wife and she had lost her husband and needed a fence, he would have been the first guy there with a tool belt on," Dowling said.

Pimenta died after he was struck by a car while riding his bike in Beverly. Pimenta, who was 53, was training for an upcoming race. He frequently rode to raise funds to help MS research, a disease he battled for much of his life.

A GoFundMe for Pimenta's family raised more than $13,000.

>>>Read Dan Pimenta's Obituary

Photos used with permission by Tammy Hamilton