By Adam Swift
former Town Councilor
and Fire Chief.
Winthrop Fire Chief Stephen Calandra and the Winthrop Firefighters Local 1070 announced the death of former Winthrop Fire Chief and Town Councilor Joseph “Larry” Powers Jr. on Sunday.
Chief Powers started his career at the Winthrop Fire Department on October 8th, 1976. He was promoted to Lieutenant on July 1st, 1989 and promoted to Captain on January 28th, 1991. He was appointed the chief of the department on July 9, 1996.
“Please keep the Powers family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” the current chief stated.
In addition to serving as the Winthrop Fire Chief and a councilor, Powers went to serve as Massport Fire Deputy Chief of Operations and was a Mass Fire Academy instructor and original Metro Fire Hazmat team member.
“I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Winthrop Fire Chief and Town Councilor Larry Powers,” said Town Council President Jim Letterie. “Larry was a true gentleman who served the Town of Winthrop with honor, integrity, and unwavering dedication. Whether leading our Fire Department as Chief or representing his neighbors on the Town Council, he brought professionalism, courtesy, and kindness to everything he did.
“He was a thoughtful public servant who always put the needs of his constituents and our community first,” Letterie continued. “On behalf of the Town Council, I extend my heartfelt condolences to Larry’s family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing him. He will be remembered with great respect and gratitude for his many years of service to Winthrop.”
The funeral services for Powers are scheduled for Wednesday, July 8, at St. John’s Episcopal Church at 225 Bowdoin St. in Winthrop. A walkthrough will begin at 10 a.m. and the funeral service will begin at noon.
In an interview with the Transcript upon his retirement from firefighting in 2009, Powers talked about how his father and two uncles were Boston firefighters, and how he practically grew up in the Boston firehouses where they worked.
“I can remember that as a kid, my dad would take me to the East Boston fire house to get my haircut,” recalled Powers in 2009. “There was a lieutenant there, and I remember walking into the bathroom for my haircuts. It was this big white tiled bathroom, and in the middle of the room was one of those old-fashioned barber chairs, and the lieutenant would cut hair on the side to make some extra money. That’s where I got almost all of my haircuts as a kid.”
Powers said he became fascinated with firefighting during all of his trips to the fire houses in Boston and remembered that his father taught him how to count the old firebox calls as they came in when he was just a young boy, around 4 or 5 years old.
When he was old enough to join the fire service, Powers was hired in Winthrop, where he said he felt fortunate to work in a small town. Upon his retirement from firefighting, Powers made a successful run for a town council seat.