LYNN — Community members formed a long line at City Hall to pay their respects to late City Councilor Gordon “Buzzy” Barton at his wake Friday afternoon.
A crowd “guesstimated” at 3,000 by David Solimine Sr. of Solimine Funeral Homes made their way to Veterans Memorial Auditorium to say their final goodbyes to the beloved city councilor, decorated firefighter, Lynn English coach, and giant in the community.
The turnout for Barton’s wake rivaled that of former mayor Patrick J. McManus in 2009. McManus, who went to school with Barton and was one of his best friends, was Lynn’s longest consecutive-serving mayor at 10 years.
The only other wake Solimine said was comparable was the one for Mayor Pasquale “Patsy” Caggiano in 1972. (Caggiano ran for mayor seven times before being elected, then died shortly thereafter.)
Uniformed firefighters and police officers stood watch over Barton’s casket while city councilors, members of the state delegation and school committee members took places next to three plaques honoring the late councilor’s achievements.
Barton served as a city councilor at-large since 2012. As the sitting city council vice president, he had pulled nomination papers to run for a seventh term this fall.
Barton worked as a Lynn firefighter from 1976-2004 and served as president of Local 739 of the International Association of Fire Fighters. In 1990, he was named Firefighter of The Year, and in 1991 he was named Union Man of the Year.
Barton was also an active member of the Lynn Retirement Board since 2004 and served on the Lynn Park Commission and EDIC/Lynn board of directors.
The councilor’s dedication to public service closely followed that of his late mother, civil rights activist Virginia Barton, who co-founded the Community Minority Cultural Center and was president of the North Shore branch of the NAACP.
Barton’s funeral will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday in Lynn City Hall, followed by burial in the Lynn Firefighters Lot in Pine Grove Cemetery.
Donations in Barton’s memory may be made to the Community Brotherhood of Lynn, the Salvation Army of Lynn, the Virginia Barton Memorial Scholarship, or the American Cancer Society.
