YARMOUTH – From Yarmouth Police: Friday, April 12, 2019 will mark one year since we lost K9 Sergeant Sean M. Gannon.
The Gannon family and our Officers are sadly still adjusting to the loss.
One thing is for certain is that the support of the citizens of Yarmouth, Cape Cod, and beyond has been incredible and has helped us heal.
On behalf of the men and women of the Yarmouth Police Department, I cannot that you enough for helping shoulder our grief and giving us strength when we were so vulnerable.
We are asked every day, “What can we do to help?”
Below are some suggestions that can be done to honor Sean and improve our communities:
- Thank a Police Officer when you see one
- Put a blue light on at your home or business showing you support Law Enforcement
- Work to support sensible law that protect you and the men and women of Law Enforcement
For the remainder of this week the Yarmouth Police Department will not make any Facebook posts and hope that you read Dara Gannon’s beautiful words and use her thoughts to make us all better.
Sincerely,
Chief Frank G. Frederickson
As the one-year anniversary of my husband’s death approaches, my thoughts turn to the days following April 12. The fog of grief clouded much of my memory during those early months. However, I clearly recall the sea of tear-stained faces lining the procession route. I witnessed love that day; it was a gift I will never forget.
Thank you for your prayers and your meaningful letters. Thank you for the pictures drawn by your children, for the flowers, gifts, cards and the many homemade meals. Thank you for the stickers on your cars, and the blue lights and flags on your homes. For all of that, and for so much more, I am eternally grateful.
Sean has been honored by the community in so many beautiful ways. Yet, he was a private person and did not like being the center of attention. He never sought recognition for himself. He acted on his principles and led by example. That’s how he lived his life, on and off the job. He inspires me every single day.
If you want to remember Sean, find your own quiet way to show someone you care. That note or text you’ve been meaning to write but keep putting off — send it. Take time to ask a friend or a colleague how he or she is doing, and really listen. Own up to a mistake and make it right. Pick up the extra shift for someone who needs the time off. Buy a coffee or pay the toll for a stranger behind you. No gesture is too small. To that person, it could make all the difference that day. We each have a special gift. Please use yours for someone else. I feel that is Sean’s legacy.
While my loss has been quite public, we usually can’t see the challenges facing others. But if we keep showing up for each other, we don’t have to carry the pain alone. Over the last year, I’ve watched as you wrapped your arms around other families in need. It makes me proud to call Cape Cod my home.
This April 12 will be a private day for me and my family, but I will never forget the comfort and support that the community has given us and our family in blue.
Thank you for holding Sean in your hearts.
Let’s keep taking care of each other.
Respectfully,
Dara Gannon
