WEBSTER, Mass. - Friends, family and fellow firefighters gathered in Webster on Saturday to remember Paul Cloutier, who died unexpectedly last month while responding to a water rescue. He was 52 years old.

A procession of firefighters and other first responders from the region arrived at the Webster Fire Department just after 10:30 a.m., but it wasn't the first service in Cloutier's honor that day. He was also a volunteer firefighter with the Muddy Brook Fire Department in Woodstock, Connecticut. 

As speakers at Saturday's service would tell you, answering the call for help was in Cloutier's nature. 

“If the firehouse is our home away from home, then he was truly a lucky man to have two of them," said State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey. "He had brothers and sisters here in Webster and over the border in Muddy Brook, but most important to him were his two children, Quinton and Victoria.”

Cloutier found his calling as a firefighter later in life after working as a contractor, but Webster Fire Chief Brian Hickey said he fit right in and surprised everyone, eventually becoming leader of the department’s dive team. 

His commitment to the career was obvious -- his last act was answering a call for help. 

“You’ve all heard the phrase don’t judge a book by its cover, Paul was the poster child for that phrase," Hickey said. "He had the ability to exceed where others failed. He may have only been with us a short time here in Webster, but I can tell you he’s certainly left an impact on all of us, and he’s left a legacy that will live with us forever.”

Cloutier grew up in Whiting, Vermont, and in recent years he made regular trips there to care for his mother after the death of his father in 2020. He stayed close with his childhood best friend Joe Arduca throughout his life, who described him as a happy-go-lucky-person who always looked out for the people he loved. 

Between the firefighters he worked alongside and the friends and family he devoted himself to, Cloutier’s legacy won’t be forgotten.

“I had to type up my best friend’s obituary, not easy," Arduca said. "I’ll miss him at the campfires, but we’ll still tell stories. I’ll miss him at deer camp and we’ll still tell stories. I’ll love you brother, and I’ll always miss you.”

In addition to his two children, Cloutier is survived by his wife Ali, mother Judith and sister Karen. He was predeceased by his father Rolland and brother Ronald. 

Cloutier's full obituary was published in the Addison Independent and can be read here.