Boverini wake draws common folks, politicians

LYNN – Hundreds of politicians and average citizens turned out Wednesday for the wake of former State Sen. Walter Boverini at the Solimine, Landergan and Richardson Funeral Home on Broadway.Former Governor Paul Cellucci and former State House Speaker Tom Finneran were among those who mourned Boverini, 84, who died Saturday after a brief illness.”Sen. Boverini was a legend in the senate and the community,” said state Rep. Steve Walsh, who was Boverini’s paper delivery boy as a child. “A lot of the progress that we’ve made in Lynn is owed to his stewardship and leadership? He certainly will be missed.”Many will remember Boverini’s accomplishments in the senate, including the passage of the Collins-Boverini education reform bill. But others will remember his accomplishments as a high school teacher and football coach.”He had a nice, low-key approach to things,” said Mike Haggerty, a former Lynn English High School Class of 1965 football player under Coach Boverini. “He turned out some pretty decent people who, when they went to college, were fundamentally sound ball players.”Haggerty said Boverini’s calm personality worked to his advantage on the ball field and the senate chambers, and always wanted to know others better.”He’d like to hang around the athletic office and just shoot the bull,” Haggerty said.Boverini was elected to the senate in 1972 and narrowly won against attorney James Carrigan and rose to majority leader in 1985.He ran for state representative in 1970 in the former 9th Essex District at a time when the Massachusetts House had 240 instead of the current 160 members.Before running for office, Boverini coached at St. Mary’s and English high schools and taught physical education at English before becoming the school’s vice principal.He flew 35 combat missions over Europe in World War II and received the Distinguished Flying Cross.City Councilor Paul Crowley first met Boverini in 1984 following his father’s death inside the same funeral home where Boverini was waked Wednesday.”He came to the wake. I think that was very symbolic of what type of guy Walter was,” Crowley said. “When I got to know him in recent years I discovered he was every man that I thought he was back then – an unbelievable guy.”The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. today at Holy Family Church with burial at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Lynn.