Laying a true hero to rest

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

They crowded into the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul to say goodbye to Charles E. "Chuck" Cassidy and lined the streets outside the glorious church to watch the slain Philadelphia police officer set out on his final patrol.
But despite the enormity of the Nov. 7 Funeral Mass, those who spoke of Cassidy chose to recall many of the little things about him. The unassuming officer’s many modest qualities meant the world to those who best knew the 54-year-old husband and father of three.
"Chuck was a gentle man with a perfect heart. We lost him," said Tom Conti, brother-in-law and eulogist.
Conti then re-directed his words heavenward: "God, you’re lucky. You’ve got him now."
Cassidy’s widow Judy, daughters Katie and Colby, son John and other family members greeted mourners for more than four hours leading up to the noontime service at the mother church of the city’s Roman Catholic Archdiocese.
As the Mass began, they settled into the front pews of the massive venue, alongside Cassidy’s brothers and sisters in blue from the 35th Police District.
The Rev. Carl Janicki, president of Cassidy’s alma mater, Cardinal Dougherty High School, served as celebrant and homilist of the Mass.
Over 1,500 people attended the service, including Gov. Ed Rendell, Mayor John Street, Mayor-elect Michael Nutter, U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan, Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice-elect Seamus McCaffery and Pennsylvania House Speaker Dennis O’Brien.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson, his deputies and many commanders represented the police department.
"It’s a very, very sad day, a somber day," Johnson said before the service. "We’re just trying to get through the day. I don’t know if we will."
Two busloads of parishioners from Cassidy’s home church, St. Jerome of Holme Circle, attended the Mass, as did a large contingent of students and staff from Father Judge High School, where Cassidy’s son is a sophomore.
The Rev. Joseph Graham, pastor of St. Jerome, and the Rev. Joseph Campellone, president of Father Judge, were concelebrants in the Mass.
Outside the basilica, uniformed police from dozens of jurisdictions along the East Coast, including a phalanx of Pennsylvania state troopers, gathered alongside countless lunchtime passers-by. Many watched live video of the Mass on a giant screen set up adjacent to Logan Circle.
"I’m here out of respect," a woman spectator said as she stood atop a park bench to see over the throng of people. "This brings to light what’s going on in the city. These men and women (on the police force) put their lives on the line every day."
"I think the outpouring is wonderful," added Northeast resident Diana DeMatteo. "To see all these people is moving."
Those inside the church and those outside watching the video feed heard about the joy that Cassidy brought to those around him and the profound impact he had on many in his professional and personal lives.
"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends," Janicki said in his homily, quoting from a gospel reading. "Christ’s words tell us exactly what happened to Chuck on Wednesday, October 31, 2007."
Cassidy was shot fatally as he walked in on an armed robbery at a West Oak Lane Dunkin’ Donuts that morning. He died the following day at Albert Einstein Medical Center. Cassidy’s alleged killer was captured on Nov. 6 at a Miami homeless shelter.
"At that moment, in that doughnut shop, virtue and vice met," Janicki said. "It may look like vice won. Vice may win the moment, but virtue always wins the day."
The community’s response to the tragedy has been a virtuous outcome, the priest said. While police investigators worked around the clock for days to identify and find the killer, civilians helped out in many other ways.
They contributed to a reward fund and to a fund to benefit Cassidy’s family. They created a memorial to the officer outside of the doughnut shop. They sent letters to the 35th district and the family describing the officer’s many good deeds in the neighborhood.
One woman told of how Cassidy, the son of a city firefighter, saved her son from drug and alcohol abuse by visiting him every day. Another woman recalled how the officer helped protect her from an abusive husband. A young man said how Cassidy had mentored him and how they still met for lunch from time to time.
Those were stories that the officer, described by his brother-in-law as an "unassuming man" who "avoided the spotlight" and "hated to be the center of attention," never told at home.
"We now understand the impact he made as a member of this great police force and, in a way, that’s a blessing," Conti said. "We’ve learned more about Chuck on the job in the last week than we ever did candidly (from him)."
Around the squad room, Cassidy was an icon, having served in the 35th district for 11 of his 25 years on the police force. His colleagues told Janicki how he always seemed willing to work overtime, how he waved to children on the beat and how he ended shifts with a quirky left-handed salute and the words, "We’ve had enough fun for the day."
The fun usually continued at home for the dedicated family man. Cassidy’s children told Janicki how their father was like a walking encyclopedia. He always made them laugh, but was a source of sincere advice, as well.
Now, his family’s hope is that their personal tragedy will make a lasting impact on a community in which violence is spiraling out of control.
"We decided that you have to ask the question, ‘Why did this happen?’" Conti said. "The ‘why’ is about this community, it’s about us. The community has to build on this. We have to come together; I mean really come together. We have to figure out how to stop the violence." ••