Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, SEPTEMbER 4, 2026 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus It was with great regret that I wasn’t able to get down to Saugus last week (Wednesday, Aug. 26) to observe a moving tribute for the late Saugus Fire Lieutenant Damian Drella. To me, Lt. Drella was one of the great ambassadors of the fire service right here in Saugus, or anywhere my travels have taken me during 52 years of newspaper journalism. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be there for the funeral, because I was on deadline, closing out last Friday’s edition (Aug. 28) of The Saugus Advocate. Fortunately, on the previous Friday, my eyes caught a wonderful article by Peter Matthews, editor of Firehouse.com, about the special tribute that - LEGAL NOTICE - COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Essex Probate and Family Court 36 Federal Street Salem, MA 01970 (978) 744-1020 Docket No. ES26P2581EA Estate of: NINA LERIGIS Date of Death: 03/02/2026 CITATION ON PETITION FOR FORMAL ADJUDICATION To all interested persons: A Petition for Formal Adjudication of Intestacy and Appointment of Personal Representative has been filed by Saugus Center of Saugus, MA requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. The Petitioner requests that: Sara Spooner of Auburn, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve With Personal Surety on the bond in unsupervised administration. IMPORTANT NOTICE You have the right to obtain a copy of the Petition from the Petitioner or at the Court. You have a right to object to this proceeding. To do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court before: 10:00 a.m. on the return day of 09/28/2026. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an affidavit of objections within thirty (30) days of the return day, action may be taken without further notice to you. UNSUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE MASSACHUSETTS UNIFORM PROBATE CODE (MUPC) A Personal Representative appointed under the MUPC in an unsupervised administration is not required to file an inventory or annual accounts with the Court. Persons interested in the estate are entitled to notice regarding the administration directly from the Personal Representative and may petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including the distribution of assets and expenses of administration. WITNESS, Hon. Frances M. Giordano, First Justice of this Court. Date: August 28, 2026 PAMELA A. CASEY O’BRIEN REGISTER OF PROBATE September 04, 2026 Ricky Sica, owner of the Medford-based 428 Graphics, had paid to his friend at the request of Lt. Drella’s family: a wrap that would turn Lt. Drella’s casket into a fire engine. I contacted Peter and Ricky, seeking permission to reprint the article along with a few photos of the casket in last week’s paper. They agreed. The response was overwhelming to the article we posted on Advocate Newspapers Facebook page. More than 1,100 people who read the article posted that they liked or loved the article. That was the most favorable feedback we have had on Advocate Newspapers for a Saugus story. Earlier in the month, I received 221 “loves and likes” for a front-page story titled “Sachems hockey making a comeback.” And I thought that was our alltime high at the time. I will forever think of Lt. Drella anytime I reflect on 9/11. It was back in 2019, that after a Sept. 11 ceremony at the Central Fire Station, Lt. Drella took me up on an invitation for a sit-down interview over coffee across the street at Dunkin’ for “The Advocate Asks” question and answer interview. He talked about how his life was affected by the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Lt. Drella was among the local firefighters who traveled to New York City to help in the early days after two commercial airliners hijacked by terrorists flew into the World Trade Center towers, destroying the landmark of the city’s financial district and causing the deaths of 2,763 people. He had a friend who was one of 343 New York City firefighters who died that day. I’ve been to several 9/11 ceremonies, and usually Lt. Drella was the guy who rang the bell. He was also the guy who would freely offer some great fire and accident photos to me or any other reporter who needed a great photo to go with a police/fire story. Damian Drella was an interesting man who devoted his professional career and life to Saugus. He was somebody who touched many lives in his hometown and beyond. He was a great guy and compassionate person who died way too young. Saugus United Parish Food Pantry A 9/11 REMBERED: The late Saugus Fire Lieutenant Damian Drella stood in front of his favorite fire engine after a 9/11 Ceremony in front of the Central Fire Station in 2019. Lt. Drella died at age 58 last month of occupational cancer after nearly four decades working for his hometown. (Saugus Advocate file photo by Mark E. Vogler) The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry will be open today (Friday, September 4) from 9:30-11 a.m. at 50 Essex St. in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church. The food pantry welcomes all neighbors facing food insecurity on Friday mornings. Volunteers are also welcome. Please call the Food Pantry Office (781-233-2663) or go to the website (cliftondalecc. org) for details. Four busy days coming soon Best wishes to our Saugus readers for a safe, happy and healthy Labor Day weekend. Next week will be a busy one. • Next Friday, Sept. 11, will mark the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City. It involved four hijacked airliners in coordinated attacks by the Islamic terrorist organization al-Qaeda. Two planes crashed into the Twin Towers and another was flown into the Pentagon building, which houses the nation’s Department of Defense, in Arlington, Va. There was a passenger mutiny on the fourth jet, which crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pa. instead of its intended target – believed to be the U.S. Capitol or the White House. The Saugus Fire Department is expected to have its normal ceremony late morning on Sept. 11. Meanwhile, Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta and former Selectman Corinne Riley are coordinating a special 9/11 remembrance event at 6 p.m. in front of Saugus Town Hall. • On Saturday, September 12, the 45th Annual Saugus Founder’s Day celebration will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. outside Saugus Town Hall and continuing down Central Street and Taylor Street. It’s been called the town’s biggest fundraising event for nonprofit agencies and various community groups. Founder’s Day will once again offer residents the opportunity to come together to show their Saugus pride while they stroll past more than 100 booths set up for the celebration. There will be food, craft and informational THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 9
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