Sgt. Detective Boston Police Dept. (Ret.) Vietnam Veteran
Sgt. Detective Paul Barnicle, 69, BPD (ret.) died on August 10, 2018, at home in Winthrop surrounded by his beloved children, Christopher and Nora, after a long, arduous 18-month battle with brain cancer. Across all the weeks and months he courageously combatted the disease, he met each day with the same strong character, sense of honor and dignity he brought to being a police officer.
He was born March 29, 1949 in Worcester, the loving son of Robert and Beatrice Barnicle. He was raised in Fitchburg and attended local schools until he joined the United States Army and was dispatched to Vietnam where he served as a combat medic assigned to the Army field hospital at Chu Lai in the then South Vietnam. Following that service to his country he returned to Boston where he worked as a counselor at the Roxbury Court Clinic while attending Boston College. Joining the Boston Police Department in January 1978, Sgt. Barnicle was initially assigned as a patrol officer to District 4 in the South End.
He received his law degree from the New England School of Law in 1988 while he was assigned to the Homicide Unit where he spent each day and every hour intent on seeking justice for the dead and those touched by violence. It did not matter who the victims were, where they lived, what they did, what color, creed or gender they were: Sgt. Detective Barnicle’s mission remained crisp, clear and true: to deliver justice.
In addition to his children, Christopher and Nora of Winthrop, he leaves his former wife Trisha Flynn of Newton, his brother Michael and sister-in-law Anne Finucane of Lincoln, his sister-in-law Brenda (Bing) Barnicle of Fitchburg, his cousins Michael Smith, Stephen Smith and Betsy Smith, his nephews Nicholas, Colin and Timothy Barnicle all of New York City, his nieces, Julia of Lincoln, Kara Shell of Corte Madera, California, Kathy Barnicle of Dallas, Texas, Shannon Coughlin of Portland, Maine, Susan Barnicle of Scarborough, Maine and Nancy Despres of Westminster. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Robert.
He also leaves a legion of police officers led by his loyal friend Jack O’Connell BPD (Ret.), trial judges, defense lawyers and prosecutors who long admired his character, dedication to duty, loyalty to the law and his insistence on truth. He was a member of the Boston Police Detective Benevolent Society and the Cottage Park Yacht Club in Winthrop.
Visiting hours will be held Thursday August 16th from 9:30AM to 11:30AM at the Maurice W. Kirby Funeral Home, 210 Winthrop St., Winthrop. A funeral Mass for Sgt. Detective Barnicle will follow at 11:30AM at St John the Evangelist Church in Winthrop. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers it is suggested that a donation be made to Cops for Kids With Cancer at copsforkidswithcancer.org. For guestbook and directions please visit www.mauricekirbyfh.com