What makes a good man?
- Maureen Boyle
- 25 minutes ago
- 2 min read
The legacy of a good man is not found in money, fame or power. It is found in the quiet acts of kindness and charity. It is seen in the lines that snake through a funeral home, where those hidden stories percolate between the hundreds who wait to pay respects. It is seen in a Catholic church in Freetown, Massachusetts, where many friends and former colleagues drove or flew in to say goodbye. It is seen in the faces of the family he dedicated his life to.
Jose Gonsalves was a good man who lived simply, who embraced his Catholic faith daily through deeds, who loved his family, who quietly did the right thing when no one was looking.
Jose, who retired from the Massachusetts State Police and died December 13, spent 39 years in law enforcement, working patrol then in the Bristol County District Attorney's office investigating the largest unsolved serial killing case in the state. He worked the streets with his state police partner Maryann Dill to try to find the killer and continued to take tips in the case even after he was promoted to lieutenant and transferred to supervise a nearby state police barracks. He was determined to find the answer to this 1988 cold case. He never stopped praying for that answer.
But it was off the job where he quietly made an impact on the Greater New Bedford, Massachusetts community where he grew up. He worked tirelessly for the Boys and Girls Club in the city, serving as a board member and president for years. He collected toys at Christmas for the children served by non-profits in New Bedford, Fall River, and Wareham. He was a board member for the Nativity Preparatory School, served as president of the New Bedford High School Basketball Boosters and worked with the New Bedford Vocational Technical High School through Skills USA.
When no one was looking, he did the right thing. When he discovered the family of a murder victim had no Christmas gifts, he appeared at the door with a bag of presents. At the Boys and Girls Club, he quietly mentored children whose families were at risk, including the son of a murder victim, hoping to steer them on the right path. Just two of many good deeds, all done without fanfare. All done because it was right.
He married his high school sweetheart, Kathleen, the year after graduating college. Fifty-five years later, their devotion to each other and their four children was evident. Family was first in his heart.
He was tall and strong; a man who wasted few words but whose actions were numerous
In recent years, he was diagnosed with vascular dementia, leading to a decline so unfair for a man who did so much for the community throughout his life. He deserved to share so many more healthy years with his wife, children and grandchildren.
There are many in the world who bask in the headlines, who worship power and money, who fail to help those struggling. And then there are the good men. Those like Jose Gonsalves.
