SALEM, MA — A century-old Salem church filled with a sea of blue. Heartfelt tributes carrying the true weight of the words "bravery," "selflessness," and "hero." A single pair of black boots adorned with an empty state trooper hat.
The emotional stories shared, the supreme praise bestowed, and the powerful images that unfolded during Wednesday's funeral services for State Trooper Kevin Trainor, as he was laid to rest one week after giving his own life to intercept a wrong-way driver on Route 1 in Lynnfield in the early morning hours of May 6, were a clear and resounding testament to the officer he was and the legacy he leaves.
"For Kevin, if there was a way to go out, it would be to take a dangerous driver off the road, and keeping the public safe, for the very last time," State Police classmate and fellow Danvers Barracks Trooper Anthony Angelesco said during his eulogy at St. James Church. "Kevin ended his career that night by making the greatest sacrifice one can make. And, unknowingly, saving the lives of everyone behind him.
"For that sacrifice, Kevin will always be remembered as one of the greatest heroes I've had the honor to call my best friend."
Trainor, a 2013 Salem High and 2019 Salem State University graduate who began his law enforcement career in the Essex County Sheriff's Office, responded to the call of a wrong-way driver on the highway shortly after the end of his shift at 2 a.m. last week.
About one minute later, his police SUV collided head-on with a Jeep traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of Route 1. The driver of the Jeep, Hernan Marrero, 50, of Roslindale, was pronounced dead at the scene, while Trainor was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he died hours later.
In the week since, a touching police cruiser memorial at the Danvers Barracks was covered with flowers and tear-filled prayers, while thousands of friends, family members, and fellow police, fire, and emergency services members traveled to the North Shore from throughout New England to line the streets and pay their respects at the Conway-Cahill Brodeur Funeral Home in Peabody on Tuesday, and at Wednesday's funeral services in his hometown of Salem.
"Trooper Trainor laid down his life so others could live theirs," Gov. Maura Healey said. "He did that, not by chance, but by choice. The choice to serve and protect, no matter the risk.
"And that's what makes him a true hero."
Trainor was living in Georgetown with his fiancée, Jessica, and is survived by his mother, Barbara, and his siblings, David, Stephen Trainor and his wife Sophana, Melissa, and Matthew.
Trooper Trainor graduated from the State Police Academy 88th Recruit Training Troop three years ago. He served as a field training officer, mentoring new troops, and was active in initiatives such as the efforts to keep the roads of the North Shore safe from impaired drivers.
State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble said Trainor showed the type of enthusiasm for the job that was "infectious and contagious" to all around him and that his "thirst to learn was unwavering."
Noble called Trainor's immediate response to divert his trip from the safety and comfort of home to an uncertain fate on Route 1 on the night of his death "the ultimate act of selflessness."
"He was, and will always be, the epitome of a police officer, a state trooper," Noble said. "Kevin knew what it meant to be a state trooper — to be part of something bigger than him, bigger than all of us."
Noble called on all law enforcement across the Bay State to embody Trainor's passion and dedication, and "own it, personalize it, and continue to make a difference in the lives every day of those we serve."
"Trooper Kevin Trainor," he concluded, "thank you for your service to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. And the Massachusetts State Police. You have performed your duties to the highest standards of the Massachusetts State Police.
"You have answered your final call. Your shift is complete. Rest in eternal peace, Trooper. Your brothers and sisters have watch."
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