7 people are presumed dead after their Gloucester fishing boat sank. Here’s how they’ll be remembered.
Many of the crew members who perished in Friday’s fishing tragedy were locals, according to their loved ones.
Flowers rest Sunday at the Gloucester Fisherman’s Memorial to honor the seven crew members who perished. Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe
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Gloucester is grieving the seven crew members who are presumed dead after the Lily Jean, their 72-foot commercial fishing vessel, sank off the coast Friday morning.
The U.S. Coast Guard said it first received an emergency radio beacon just before 7 a.m. but was unable to contact the boat’s crew. During a search Friday, rescue crews found an “unresponsive body” and an unoccupied life raft in the frigid waters.
Over a 24-hour period, crews used cutters, aircraft, and small boats to search about 1,000 square miles for the other missing crew members. By the next day, they determined that their efforts had been exhausted and suspended the search.
Officials are still investigating what caused the Lily Jean to sink, but the seven people who presumably perished at sea have been identified by their friends and families. Here’s what we know about them.
Captain’s family had a long history of fishing
Gus Sanfilippo, the Lily Jean’s captain, was a fifth-generation commercial fisherman who fished in the Georges Bank out of Gloucester. He and his crew were featured in a 2012 episode of the History Channel show “Nor’Easter Men,” the Associated Press reported.
Sanfilippo’s passing in Friday’s tragedy was confirmed to Boston 25 News. A friend of his told the outlet that Sanfilippo was a mentor to him as a fisherman.
“You don’t think that someone like him that’s been around for so long doing it…that it would happen like that,” Sanfilippo’s friend said. “He took me under his wing 12 years ago, he let me come on the boat and taught me basically everything I know now.”
Lynn father remembered as ‘a hardworking family man’
Sean Therrien, 44, was among those aboard the Lily Jean when it sunk. – Rebecca Carp
Sean Therrien, 44, of Peabody, left behind his partner and two sons, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser. He grew up in Lynn and was “a hardworking family man whose life revolved around the people he loved most.”
“There are no words that can truly capture the heartbreak of losing someone so suddenly, yet we try here to honor the life and love of Sean Therrien — a devoted partner, father, son, brother, and friend taken far too soon,” the fundraiser’s description reads.
Therrien’s partner of 22 years, Rebecca Carp, announced his passing Friday night on Facebook.
“Please keep my boys and myself in your prayers,” Carp said. “I feel lost and so alone now. My heart is broken.”
Salem native ‘leaves a void that can never be filled’
John Paul Rousanidis, a 33-year-old Salem native, grew up in Greece but returned to Massachusetts to be with his family and pursue his passion for the sea, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser. He left behind his mother, father, stepfather, three sisters, and two brothers.
“His kindness, determination, and generosity inspired everyone around him,” Keri Rousanidis, John’s sister, wrote. “John’s presence brought so much joy and strength to our family, and his loss leaves a void that can never be filled.”
Virginia woman’s ‘roots ran deep’ in Gloucester
Jada Samitt, 22, a Fisheries Observer and crew member who was aboard the missing Gloucester fishing vessel. – Handout
Jada Samitt, 22, was an NOAA Fishery Observer and crew member from Virginia, her family said in a statement released Sunday.
“Jada was on the Lily Jean that day because of her strong belief in her work, not only as an observer, but as someone who knew her important role as a crew member,” Samitt’s family said in the statement. “She proved herself to be so on every trip, and conveyed to us how critical it was to protect the seas and fisheries. We could not be more proud of and grateful to her for it.”
Samitt left behind a mother, father, stepmother, stepfather, and three siblings, according to the statement. Though she was from Virginia, she saw New England as a second home.
“Jada was from Virginia, but her roots ran deep here and she loved these waters,” Samitt’s family said in the statement. “We are devastated by her loss and the pure tragedy of the unthinkable, unimaginable events that took her from us far too early.”
Father and son mourned by local community
Paul Beal and his son Paul Beal Jr. were on board the Lily Jean when it sank, WBZ reported. Ricky Beal, Paul’s brother, told the outlet that they used to fish together.
“It’s just devastating,” Beal told WBZ. “The support from the community has been unbelievable.”
Marshfield man’s family ‘has always given selflessly’
A Marshfield man identified by the Fall River Reporter as Freeman Short was also among the crew members who lost their lives. Short was raised by a loving family who provided for “anyone who needed it,” according to a GoFundMe fundraiser organized by a family friend.
“We are raising money so the Short family can focus on what matters most — mourning their beloved son, holding one another close, and trusting God to carry them through — without the added stress of expenses,” the fundraiser’s description reads. “This family has always given selflessly, even when it was hard. Now it’s our turn to give back.”
