Retired Winthrop Police Lt. David Lessard, 69 died last Friday after a long battle with an illness.
Lessard served as a Winthrop Police Officer for 44 years.
Lessard was hired as a reserve officer on July 22, 1980. He was appointed full-time on August 22, 1983. On August 4, 1992, Lessard was appointed Sergeant. On February 27, 1997, he was appointed Lieutenant. Since retirement in 2019, Lessard served as a special police officer until his passing.
Lt. Lessard was the longtime supervisor of the patrol division and was very popular with the officers. He had a reputation of always caring for his officers before himself. He supervised many of Winthrop Police Community Policing initiatives.
Lessard was a regular at the yearly Special Olympics, always manning the grill. He also started the first Winthrop Police Citizens Academy and supervised Winthrop Police’s first mountain bike unit.
Lt. Lessard had a love of the ocean and was a longtime Winthrop Yacht Club member. He also applied his oceanic skills to his job as supervisor of Winthrop Police Marine Unit and was an active member of the early years of the Harbor Planning Committee, serving as the police liaison.
Lt. Lessard earned a reputation as a “worker” in the department, committing long hours on details, holidays, and special events to ensure he could provide a good life for his loving wife Karen and 4 children Kristina, David, Michael, and Andrea. If you talked to Dave, after two minutes you knew family was everything to him and the center of his world. Arrangements are available online at www.caggianofuneralhome.com/obituary/David-Lessard