for 33 years.
MARLBOROUGH – Marlborough firefighter David Gauthier retired after a 33-year career on July 21.
He began his career with the Marlborough Fire Department when he got appointed on Feb. 27, 1989. After completing the fire academy that was conducted by Fire District 14, he was assigned to Group 1 where he spent most of his career.
Gauthier is an avid bike rider. When he lived in Westborough, he would often ride his bike to Station 3 on Boston Post Road East.
When his wife, Allison, took a new job at a hospital in western Massachusetts, they sold their house in Westborough and moved to Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
For his last trip to the firehouse before retirement, he decided to ride his bike to work. The trip took him three days and spanned 120 miles. He stayed with friends and a night at a hotel and stopped to donate platelets at the Red Cross Blood Donor Center, a frequent pastime of his.
He stayed at a hotel at the Apex Center for his final night and rode his bike from there to Station 3.
A collation was held at fire headquarters to honor Gauthier. Active on- and off-duty firefighters, retired members and friends came by to wish him well.
There is a tradition in the department that you get the “final ride home” in the fire truck to which you were assigned. This tradition continued, bringing Gauthier back to the hotel. His wife Allison came to the collation and spent the night in the city.
This truly is the end of an era.
He is the last Gauthier to be part of the Marlborough Fire Department. His father, retired firefighter Paul Gauthier, was appointed to the MFD in 1970, and his great uncle, the late Aimee Gauthier, was appointed to the department in 1939.
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