Plymouth Soldier's Funeral Today

Army Spc. Steven E. Gutowski, age 24, of Plymouth, died Sept, 28, when he was killed by an inprovised explosive device in Afghanistan along with two other soldiers.

He was with the 515th Engineer Company (Sapper), had been stationed in Afghanistan since February and was killed when an explosive device detonated, according to his mother, Joan Gutowski.

He had made a trip home on leave last month for his sister’s wedding. Gutowski was the loving and devoted son of Edward and Joan Gutowski (Goldrick), and loving and caring brother to Cheryl Chamallas (Gutowski) and her husband Alex of Plymouth, and Karen Gutowski also of Plymouth. He is also survived by his good friend, John Mello, of Florida, formerly of Buzzards Bay, as well as several aunts, uncles, cousins and many close friends, too many to name.

A funeral is being held today at St. Peter's Church on Court Street at 11 a.m. and Gutowski will be buried at Bourne National Cemetery.

Gov. Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray and several other state and local officials are planning to attend the funeral along with members of the Boston Police Gaelic Column of Pipes and Drums, the Plymouth County Sherrif's Department and members of the Plymouth Fire Department are also planning to attend.

Plymouth residents are invited to stand along the roadside carrying American flags as the procession heads to the cemetery through Plymouth and Manomet.
Flags can be picked up at the Veterans' Agent's office at Town Hall.

Steven was born May 27, 1987 in Weymouth, and resided in Plymouth his whole life. He was a 2005 graduate of Plymouth North High School. He ran on the track team and played football during his high school years. He was very involved with the high school marketing club - DECA and helped by running the school store. He also liked to bowl on the weekends and even joined his father's mens league when he was old enough. Steven held different positions within the Plymouth Recreation Dept. over his high school years and thoroughly enjoyed working with all the kids. In his last year prior to joining the Army the kids dipped their hands in paint and left their handprints on his t-shirt, which he then framed and cherished dearly. He also spent many summer nights working at the Plymouth Long Beach for the town of Plymouth. When he wasn't at the beach or with the kids, he worked Team Ops Security for Gillette Stadium, for 3+ years. Steven enlisted into the Active Army on 31 December 2008. He served as a Combat Engineer and was stationed at Fort Leonardwood, Missouri. He deployed in February 2011 with the 515th Engineer Company (Sapper), 54th Engineer Battalion in support of Operation Enduring Freedom to Afghanistan. During his service, he helped to find improvised explosive devices and aided in route clearance operations. He was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Combat Action Badge. He was known as "Gooto" to those he served with and "Goot" in Plymouth. He was a huge fan of the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox, but his love for the Boston Bruins was second to none: he was so thankful to see them win the Stanley Cup and was able to watch the games by being woken up at 4:00 AM in Afghanistan. Our prayers go out to the families of the two other soldiers who died alongside Steven and wish for the speady recovery of the wounded soldier. Also, a thank you to all the men and women who serve our country

A visitation will be held at the Cartmell Funeral Home, 150 Court St. Plymouth on Saturday and Sunday, October 15th and 16th, from 4:00 till 8:00 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday October 17th at St. Peters Church in Plymouth at 11:00 am, followed by burial at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne. In lieu of flowers, the Gutowski family requests that donations be made in Steven's memory to Veterans Services, Town of Plymouth, 11 Lincoln Street, Plymouth, MA 02360, in the care of Roxanne Whitbeck. Donations may also be made to the "Military Friends Foundation" 14 Beacon Street, Suite 706, Boston, MA 02108, or made online at:www.militaryfriends.org , a local non-profit organization that supports military families and friends of our fallen service members across Massachusetts.

Steven's famous last words: "I was put here on Earth to make everyone smile and I simply receive a thank you from those people smiling."

Information taken from Gutowski's obituary on Cartmell Funeral Home's website.