(Additional photographs below.)
The funeral for 32-year-old Haverhill Police Officer Katelyn M. Tully takes place Friday.
In her obituary, the Haverhill Police Department described her as “a dedicated officer whose presence left a lasting impact on everyone she served beside.”
“She was more than a colleague; she was family. Her quiet strength, unwavering integrity and fierce loyalty to her duty set a powerful example for all of us. She approached each challenge with grace and resilience, never backing down when others needed her most. She was caring, considerate and compassionate qualities that defined her both in and out of uniform. Whether offering a listening ear, lending a helping hand or leading with empathy, she embodied everything we hoped for in an exceptional officer. Her absence leaves a void that words cannot fill, but her legacy lives on in the lives she touched and the hearts she strengthened. We will carry her memory with us always.”
The appearance of the obituary was the first formal acknowledgement of her name following her death Friday morning. Police Chief Robert P. Pistone Jr. said Tully “served our community with grace, compassion, kindness and professionalism” and Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett called Tully’s passing “a tragic loss” in earlier coverage.
Tully of Haverhill graduated from Methuen High School with the Class of 2012 and served a six-month active service in Afghanistan after enlisting in the U.S. Army National Guard in 2014. She was honorably discharged and joined the Haverhill Police Department the first time in 2016.
As WHAV reported in 2021, Tully was awarded the department’s Employee Excellence Award for the fourth quarter of 2020 for rendering first aid to a man at a Marble Street murder scene even as she directed other officers to begin securing the crime scene. She was also recognized, along with two other Haverhill police officers, the year before for completing a half marathon in honor of fallen law enforcement officers.
After a stint serving as a police officer in Newbury, Tully rejoined the Haverhill Police Department in 2024.
Visiting hours take place Thursday, Oct. 2, from 3-8 p.m., at Nichols Funeral Home, 187 Middlesex Ave., Route 62, Wilmington. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, Oct. 3, at 11 a.m., in St. Thomas of Villanova Church, 126 Middlesex Ave., Wilmington. Interment with Military Honors will follow at Wildwood Cemetery, Wilmington.
Officer William Mears (left), Sgt. Andrea Fogarty (second from left) and Officer Katelyn Tully were recognized by the Haverhill City Council June 25, 2019 as then-Capt. Robert P. Pistone and Councilor Joseph J. Bevilacqua looked on. (WHAV News photograph)
Patrolman Katelyn Tully, center, receives honors from then Capt. Robert P. Pistone, left, and Police Chief Alan R. DeNaro in 2021. (Courtesy photograph.)