An 18-year-old Marine from Rochester died recently from a flesh-eating infection at 29 Palms Marine base in California.
Becket Kiernan died suddenly Feb. 5 from an aggressive bacterial infection called Necrotizing Fasciitis, according to a Facebook post by his mother, Lynda Kiernan.
“All Becket ever wanted since he was young was to be a Marine and to help people, and we are so proud of him,” wrote his mother online. “There are no words yet created to express how my heart is broken.”
He graduated from Old Rochester Regional High School in June 2017. “Old Rochester lost a true leader and friend last week. … Becket was an inspiration to all at ORRHS and his passing has impacted the entire community,” the school wrote on Facebook.
He also was a member of the Fall River Young Marines.
“[Through Young Marines] I got in shape, and became more confident,” Becket Kiernan said in an ORR student profile published by the school. “Although there’s still room to improve, I became an all-round better person over the years. Do something that, when you look back on life, you will feel fulfilled. Don’t chase money, do something that makes you happy, and don’t stop working until you get there.”
Friends Amy Salvadore and Cynthia Alfama have started a GoFundMe page in Becket’s honor, https://www.gofundme.com/remembering-becket-kiernan.
A wake is scheduled for 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Saunders-Dwyer Funeral Home in Mattapoisett, followed by a funeral Mass at 9:30 a.m. Friday at St. Anthony’s Church in Mattapoisett. Burial will follow at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.
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