Copyright MassLive
Boston police are mourning the death of a decorated active-duty officer over the weekend after his six-year battle with cancer. Boston Police Det. Bruce W. Higgins, Jr., 51, died on Sunday surrounded by his family, after battling melanoma for the past six years, according to Boston police and his obituary. “Through it all, he was a warrior and always remained positive,” his loved ones wrote. Higgins was born in Boston and raised in West Roxbury. He graduated from Catholic Memorial High School in 1993 and received his bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater State College, then his master’s degree from Western New England College. Higgins had served Boston police for nearly 27 years, after he was appointed as a cadet to the department on Nov. 9, 1998. He was appointed to the Boston Police Academy as a Student Officer in October 2003 and graduated as a police officer in May 2004. Higgins’ first permanent assignment with the department was to Dorchester — District C-11 — then to the Youth Violence Strike Force in 2007. He became a detective in August 2012 and was still assigned to the Youth Violence Strike Force at the time of his death. Higgins’ list of commendations is “extensive, both internally and externally” from the community and by those he served with, according to the department. This includes his work taking guns off the streets of Boston — he’d removed a “significant number” throughout his career, the department said, “clearly making a positive impact on public safety in Boston.” He received a number of Commissioner Commendations for those efforts, along with his contributions to investigations into high priority violence offenders and with the Strike Force, the department said. In addition, Higgins’ efforts following the Boston Marathon Bombings were recognized with a Unit Citation at the Boston Police Relief Association Annual Ball and an internal Unit Citation. He also received the Massachusetts Police Association 2011 Medal of Valor and the prestigious Trooper George L. Hanna Medal of Valor. Higgins was “highly regarded by those he worked with, his supervisors and all who knew him, both within the Department and by those we serve,” a statement from the department read. Outside of being a police officer, Higgins “was the epitome of a family man,” his loved ones said, and “shared tons of laughter, respect, and just pure love” with his wife of 26 years. “Nothing came before his family, and he always made sure they had everything they needed and more. He was an incredible father,” his obituary read, adding that watching his children “grow into amazing adults filled him with such pride.” Higgins was also a coach several times over and loved basketball. He was a “dominant presence” on the court as a part of the CM Knights and the Bridgewater State College Bears and was a member of the 1,000 Point Club and Hall of Fame at both CM and Bridgewater, where he’d later go on to coach. “You could always find Bruce coaching his kids and their friends in almost every sport,” including youth flag football, youth soccer teams, several basketball teams, little league and even softball. Higgins “impacted and enhanced the lives of so many young kids with his gift of coaching these many sports,” his loved ones said. He was a big Celtics fan and loved going to games with his family. He also enjoyed golfing, hanging out with his friends and vacationing with his family, especially in Aruba. “Bruce was hilarious and had a great sense of humor. He always had everyone laughing,” his loved ones said. Funeral services for Higgins will be held on Nov. 10 at 10 a.m., at the St. Theresa of Avila Church located at 2078 Centre St. in West Roxbury. Visiting hours will be held on Nov. 9, from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m., at the William J. Gormley Funeral Home at 2055 Centre St. in West Roxbury. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. His burial will be held at St. Joseph Cemetery in West Roxbury. In lieu of flowers, Higgins’ loved ones ask for contributions in his memory to be made to the Center for Melanoma Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
