Page 10 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, July 3, 2024 APPRECIATION | FROM PAGE 1 about four generations together – he was a living bridge that connected so much about what Malden means from the past to the present. Now he has left us, passing away on Friday surrounded by family and friends, at 86. “Butch” Gennetti was like many of those who were at retirement age or close to it, contemplating the fast-approaching period of their lives where they did not have to wake up and face another day on the job. “What do I do now?” That is what many say when the work-free life draws near. For Butch, it was an easy call. A cop for nearly 40 years with the Malden Police Department before his retirement from active duty, a cop he remained, accepting then Mayor Richard Howard’s appointment as Malden Police Commissioner in 2010 and continuing in that post, reporting to Mayor Gary Christenson from 2012 until his sad passing this past Friday, June 28. By the way, Butch was 86 years young on the day he left us. But yes, he was still a Malden cop, actually the city’s “top cop” as Police Commissioner. Do you think Butch took that post seriously? Did he consider it an important responsibility in his life? “I do not think [Gennetti] missed a single weekly meeting I held with Police Chief [Glenn] Cronin or Chief [Kevin] Molis before him in the 13 years I’ve served as Mayor,” Malden Mayor Gary Christenson recalled Saturday afternoon while taking in a Malden Youth Baseball championship game at Devir Park’s Bruce Field. “He [Gennetti] was at this week’s meeting on Tuesday, just a few days before he passed,” Mayor Christenson shared. “He really was that passionate and committed to the men and women of the Malden Police Department and our community, right up to his fi nal days.” Along with being “A cop for life in Malden,” Butch also was forever a family man, friend, mentor, volunteer and Malden community leader. Another rite of passage from being in the working world and then on to retirement is the socalled “Bucket List,” a compiled “to-do list” of all that someone wants to experience and a task to complete before meeting their Maker. People that knew Butch Gennetti the best probably would concur on this one: Butch didn’t even have a “Bucket List.” Why not? Because was living all of the stuff he would write on said list, every day! He loved being a Malden cop so much that he never stopped being a cop, even to age 86! Butch belonged to many of the most infl uential member clubs and private organizations in Malden – the Italian American CitiEVERETT KIWANIS 38th ANNUAL FRANK E. WOODWARD GOLF TOURNAMENT!!! Supporting Scholarships for Everett High School Students Register online to play and to buy tee box signs at www.everettkiwanisgolf.com Date: July 26, 2024 Time: 7:00AM Registration – 8:00 AM Shotgun Start Location: Mount Hood Golf Course – 100 Slayton Rd. Melrose, MA Fee: $150.00 per golfer – includes 18-hole best ball scramble format, cart, greens fees, lunch, and prizes Please buy a tee box sign for $125.00 per hole Questions: Contact David LaRovere at david@larovere.com or 617-387-2700 Online registration gives option to be invoiced or pay online zens Club (IACC) the Irish American Club, the ITAMVETS (Italian American War Veterans), Malden Kiwanis, past President of the Brittolesi Mutual Aid Society and past president and one of the those there from the start of the St. Rocco Society – and as a member of the governing body that ran most of them. In recent years he even started another new organization, Club Italia, which operated with a club building and small function hall on Maplewood Street on Malden’s East Side. He loved sports and stayed active in the ones he loved the most for most of his life – slow-pitch softball, golf and bocce. Butch helped start the popular Over40 Men’s Softball League, which rolled it out for decades at Callahan Park on Pearl Street on weeknights, and weekends at the former slow-pitch softball fi elds at Pine Banks. He was one of the founders of the bocce sport at the IACC, which has become all the rage in Malden, a lifelong sport in which guys and gals, well, even in their mid-80s can still participate. Politics? Butch could talk politics at every level – local, state, national, international – from past and present, about what happened in the past hour! – with anyone that cared to partake. He ran and won a seat on the Malden School Committee – four times, serving as chairman twice, and could probably have been a City Councillor for life if he had found the time, like his dear friend Paul LEGISLATION | FROM PAGE 9 alternative exists. Payments for new gas lines are often fi nanced over 30 years, beyond the 2050 goal of reducing fossil fuels. By repairing or decommissioning pipes instead of replacing them, costs shifted to ratepayers are reduced, and the clean energy transition is accelerated. • Modernizing the “bottle bill” by adding noncarbonated beverages, wine, and spirits to the list of containers eligible for Everett Aluminum 10 Everett Ave., Everett 617-389-3839 “Same name, phone number & address for over half a century. We must be doing something right!” •Vinyl Siding •Carpentry Work •Decks •Vinyl Siding •Carpentry Work •Free Estimates •Fully Licensed •Roofing • Fully Insured • Replacement Windows www.everettaluminum.com •Free Estimates •Fully Licensed Now’s the time to schedule those home improvement projects you’ve been dreaming about all winter! Celebrating 66 Years in Business! S Condon. He even ran for Mayor of Malden once back in the day! He had a large and loving family. Butch was the youngest of 10 children of fi rst-generation Italian immigrants. Butch had fi ve children of his own, with his former wife “Peggy”: daughters Lisa, Dina, Carla and Maria along with his son and namesake, Sal. Sal, a Malden High grad like Class of ’55 Butch, followed his dad’s footsteps and is now a Malden PD veteran who was decorated for valor a few years back for saving lives at a fi re scene. Butch loved Malden and Malden loved him. He was most assuredly one of the record-holders in city history at returning waves from passing motorists and acknowledging the friendly horn beeps while he was on one of his thousands of fi tness walks on diff erent routes of extended lengths all over the community. Butch was a pillar of life wherever he was involved in his community in many ways, and it is not enough to say he will be missed, not enough to say he was someone who could not be replaced. Salvatore “Butch” Gennetti is just someone we were so lucky to have in our community for what it is now the ninth decade. His life started in Malden, stayed in Malden and fi nished in Malden and we are all the better for it. Rest in peace, Butch. We are blessed to be able to say we were all part of Malden together with you. a bottle deposit, and increasing the deposit amount from 5 cents to 10 cents. During debate on the Senate floor, Senator Lewis was also successful in getting an amendment adopted to improve wayfi nding and other signage for EV charging stations. This would help encourage more drivers to consider switching to electric vehicles. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration. Summer is Here!
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