By JILL STORMS; Courant Staff Writer,January 30, 1999|: BROOKFIELD — -- Relatives and friends of state Rep. B. Scott Santa-Maria urged those at his funeral Mass Friday not to wonder why the vibrant, 30-year- old chose to end his life this week but to remember how he lived it -- as a police officer, a legislator, a foster father and a man loved by many.
Some wonder whether the time and dedication he gave to two jobs took their toll on Santa-Maria. He was a three-term state representative by day and evening and, for the last 11 years, a full-time Bethel police officer on the midnight shift. By age 20, he was on the force. By age 24, he was a foster father to two teen-age boys. By age 27, he was a legislator.
''We've dreamed up many answers to help us [cope] with it,'' longtime friend and Brookfield First Selectwoman Bonnie Smith said at his funeral. ''The fact of the matter is it was Scott's decision. . . . Nothing we say or do can change this. We should honor him by accepting his decision and respecting his privacy -- no more questions.''
Santa-Maria was buried in Central Cemetery at the foot of the grave of his childhood friend, James O'Brien, who died suddenly in 1988. It was there that Santa-Maria put his own gun to his chest and killed himself early Tuesday morning. Friends and family were surprised by the suicide and wondered whether they could have prevented it.
State Rep. Bill Hamzy of Plymouth, speaking at the funeral, said his friend ''carried the weight of the world on his shoulders'' and that he ''internalized everything.'' Still, Hamzy said he and other legislators admired Santa-Maria's dedication to public service.
Speaking toward the casket, Hamzy also said, ''I admire you, Scott. You're smart, dedicated, handsome and your smile could light up an auditorium. I only wish I would've said those words five days ago.''
Santa-Maria left a message for his sister, Lynne Beardsley, on her voice-mail machine at work late Monday night. When Beardsley's secretary reviewed the messages the next morning, she heard instructions for Beardsley to direct the Brookfield police to the cemetery.
At Mass Friday, Beardsley said her brother ''wants me to tell you you must forgive yourselves -- there was nothing that you did or didn't do'' to contribute to his death.
Santa-Maria was remembered Friday as a vivacious public servant, a go-getter who spoke his mind with conviction without fear of angering others. That was true in late 1997 when he criticized Rowland's choice for public safety commissioner, Lt. Col. William T. McGuire, and again, just last week, when he came out against Scott Smith, the New Milford police officer charged with murder.
Santa-Maria said his experience as a police officer who had survived a shooting in 1991 and his reading of Smith's arrest warrant led him to believe that Smith used excessive force when he shot Franklyn Reid in the back while trying to arrest him Dec. 29.
Santa-Maria was criticized by police officers and others after the Jan. 22 publication of his opinion. Some speculate that this criticism might have affected his state of mind before his death.
Still, law enforcement workers from all over Connecticut turned out for Santa-Maria's funeral. At the grave, Bethel police officers walked up to the casket one by one and saluted. Then, two by two, members of other forces -- from Suffolk County, N. Y., to Stratford -- did the same. Some officers left their white gloves on the coffin, beside the red roses placed there by Santa- Maria's family.
Nearly 1,000 people -- including Gov. John G. Rowland, Lt. Gov. Jodi Rell, a Brookfield resident as was Santa-Maria, and about 100 police officers from around the state -- attended the service at St. Joseph's Church in the legislator's small hometown. State police, Capitol officers, and colleagues from the Bethel Police Department saluted his casket when it was brought into the vestibule.
House Colleagues Honor Dead Legislator
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER; Courant Staff Writer, March 11, 1999
State Rep. Raymond V. Collins said his last conversation with Scott Santa-Maria was confusing. Santa-Maria, a 30-year-old state representative from Brookfield, told his friend, "I have to go away for a while. . . . It's something I have to do." "I had no idea what he was talking about," said Collins, a West Haven Republican. "Now, I do." A week later, on Jan. 25, Santa- Maria, a police officer in Bethel, killed himself in a Brookfield cemetery, next to the grave of a childhood friend who had died suddenly in 1988.
Some wonder whether the time and dedication he gave to two jobs took their toll on Santa-Maria. He was a three-term state representative by day and evening and, for the last 11 years, a full-time Bethel police officer on the midnight shift. By age 20, he was on the force. By age 24, he was a foster father to two teen-age boys. By age 27, he was a legislator.
''We've dreamed up many answers to help us [cope] with it,'' longtime friend and Brookfield First Selectwoman Bonnie Smith said at his funeral. ''The fact of the matter is it was Scott's decision. . . . Nothing we say or do can change this. We should honor him by accepting his decision and respecting his privacy -- no more questions.''
Santa-Maria was buried in Central Cemetery at the foot of the grave of his childhood friend, James O'Brien, who died suddenly in 1988. It was there that Santa-Maria put his own gun to his chest and killed himself early Tuesday morning. Friends and family were surprised by the suicide and wondered whether they could have prevented it.
State Rep. Bill Hamzy of Plymouth, speaking at the funeral, said his friend ''carried the weight of the world on his shoulders'' and that he ''internalized everything.'' Still, Hamzy said he and other legislators admired Santa-Maria's dedication to public service.
Speaking toward the casket, Hamzy also said, ''I admire you, Scott. You're smart, dedicated, handsome and your smile could light up an auditorium. I only wish I would've said those words five days ago.''
Santa-Maria left a message for his sister, Lynne Beardsley, on her voice-mail machine at work late Monday night. When Beardsley's secretary reviewed the messages the next morning, she heard instructions for Beardsley to direct the Brookfield police to the cemetery.
At Mass Friday, Beardsley said her brother ''wants me to tell you you must forgive yourselves -- there was nothing that you did or didn't do'' to contribute to his death.
Santa-Maria was remembered Friday as a vivacious public servant, a go-getter who spoke his mind with conviction without fear of angering others. That was true in late 1997 when he criticized Rowland's choice for public safety commissioner, Lt. Col. William T. McGuire, and again, just last week, when he came out against Scott Smith, the New Milford police officer charged with murder.
Santa-Maria said his experience as a police officer who had survived a shooting in 1991 and his reading of Smith's arrest warrant led him to believe that Smith used excessive force when he shot Franklyn Reid in the back while trying to arrest him Dec. 29.
Santa-Maria was criticized by police officers and others after the Jan. 22 publication of his opinion. Some speculate that this criticism might have affected his state of mind before his death.
Still, law enforcement workers from all over Connecticut turned out for Santa-Maria's funeral. At the grave, Bethel police officers walked up to the casket one by one and saluted. Then, two by two, members of other forces -- from Suffolk County, N. Y., to Stratford -- did the same. Some officers left their white gloves on the coffin, beside the red roses placed there by Santa- Maria's family.
Nearly 1,000 people -- including Gov. John G. Rowland, Lt. Gov. Jodi Rell, a Brookfield resident as was Santa-Maria, and about 100 police officers from around the state -- attended the service at St. Joseph's Church in the legislator's small hometown. State police, Capitol officers, and colleagues from the Bethel Police Department saluted his casket when it was brought into the vestibule.
House Colleagues Honor Dead Legislator
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER; Courant Staff Writer, March 11, 1999
State Rep. Raymond V. Collins said his last conversation with Scott Santa-Maria was confusing. Santa-Maria, a 30-year-old state representative from Brookfield, told his friend, "I have to go away for a while. . . . It's something I have to do." "I had no idea what he was talking about," said Collins, a West Haven Republican. "Now, I do." A week later, on Jan. 25, Santa- Maria, a police officer in Bethel, killed himself in a Brookfield cemetery, next to the grave of a childhood friend who had died suddenly in 1988.
By JILL STORMS; Courant Staff Writer,January 30, 1999|: BROOKFIELD — -- Relatives and friends of state Rep. B. Scott Santa-Maria urged those at his funeral Mass Friday not to wonder why the vibrant, 30-year- old chose to end his life this week but to remember how he lived it -- as a police officer, a legislator, a foster father and a man loved by many.
Some wonder whether the time and dedication he gave to two jobs took their toll on Santa-Maria. He was a three-term state representative by day and evening and, for the last 11 years, a full-time Bethel police officer on the midnight shift. By age 20, he was on the force. By age 24, he was a foster father to two teen-age boys. By age 27, he was a legislator.
''We've dreamed up many answers to help us [cope] with it,'' longtime friend and Brookfield First Selectwoman Bonnie Smith said at his funeral. ''The fact of the matter is it was Scott's decision. . . . Nothing we say or do can change this. We should honor him by accepting his decision and respecting his privacy -- no more questions.''
Santa-Maria was buried in Central Cemetery at the foot of the grave of his childhood friend, James O'Brien, who died suddenly in 1988. It was there that Santa-Maria put his own gun to his chest and killed himself early Tuesday morning. Friends and family were surprised by the suicide and wondered whether they could have prevented it.
State Rep. Bill Hamzy of Plymouth, speaking at the funeral, said his friend ''carried the weight of the world on his shoulders'' and that he ''internalized everything.'' Still, Hamzy said he and other legislators admired Santa-Maria's dedication to public service.
Speaking toward the casket, Hamzy also said, ''I admire you, Scott. You're smart, dedicated, handsome and your smile could light up an auditorium. I only wish I would've said those words five days ago.''
Santa-Maria left a message for his sister, Lynne Beardsley, on her voice-mail machine at work late Monday night. When Beardsley's secretary reviewed the messages the next morning, she heard instructions for Beardsley to direct the Brookfield police to the cemetery.
At Mass Friday, Beardsley said her brother ''wants me to tell you you must forgive yourselves -- there was nothing that you did or didn't do'' to contribute to his death.
Santa-Maria was remembered Friday as a vivacious public servant, a go-getter who spoke his mind with conviction without fear of angering others. That was true in late 1997 when he criticized Rowland's choice for public safety commissioner, Lt. Col. William T. McGuire, and again, just last week, when he came out against Scott Smith, the New Milford police officer charged with murder.
Santa-Maria said his experience as a police officer who had survived a shooting in 1991 and his reading of Smith's arrest warrant led him to believe that Smith used excessive force when he shot Franklyn Reid in the back while trying to arrest him Dec. 29.
Santa-Maria was criticized by police officers and others after the Jan. 22 publication of his opinion. Some speculate that this criticism might have affected his state of mind before his death.
Still, law enforcement workers from all over Connecticut turned out for Santa-Maria's funeral. At the grave, Bethel police officers walked up to the casket one by one and saluted. Then, two by two, members of other forces -- from Suffolk County, N. Y., to Stratford -- did the same. Some officers left their white gloves on the coffin, beside the red roses placed there by Santa- Maria's family.
Nearly 1,000 people -- including Gov. John G. Rowland, Lt. Gov. Jodi Rell, a Brookfield resident as was Santa-Maria, and about 100 police officers from around the state -- attended the service at St. Joseph's Church in the legislator's small hometown. State police, Capitol officers, and colleagues from the Bethel Police Department saluted his casket when it was brought into the vestibule.
House Colleagues Honor Dead Legislator
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER; Courant Staff Writer, March 11, 1999
State Rep. Raymond V. Collins said his last conversation with Scott Santa-Maria was confusing. Santa-Maria, a 30-year-old state representative from Brookfield, told his friend, "I have to go away for a while. . . . It's something I have to do." "I had no idea what he was talking about," said Collins, a West Haven Republican. "Now, I do." A week later, on Jan. 25, Santa- Maria, a police officer in Bethel, killed himself in a Brookfield cemetery, next to the grave of a childhood friend who had died suddenly in 1988.
Some wonder whether the time and dedication he gave to two jobs took their toll on Santa-Maria. He was a three-term state representative by day and evening and, for the last 11 years, a full-time Bethel police officer on the midnight shift. By age 20, he was on the force. By age 24, he was a foster father to two teen-age boys. By age 27, he was a legislator.
''We've dreamed up many answers to help us [cope] with it,'' longtime friend and Brookfield First Selectwoman Bonnie Smith said at his funeral. ''The fact of the matter is it was Scott's decision. . . . Nothing we say or do can change this. We should honor him by accepting his decision and respecting his privacy -- no more questions.''
Santa-Maria was buried in Central Cemetery at the foot of the grave of his childhood friend, James O'Brien, who died suddenly in 1988. It was there that Santa-Maria put his own gun to his chest and killed himself early Tuesday morning. Friends and family were surprised by the suicide and wondered whether they could have prevented it.
State Rep. Bill Hamzy of Plymouth, speaking at the funeral, said his friend ''carried the weight of the world on his shoulders'' and that he ''internalized everything.'' Still, Hamzy said he and other legislators admired Santa-Maria's dedication to public service.
Speaking toward the casket, Hamzy also said, ''I admire you, Scott. You're smart, dedicated, handsome and your smile could light up an auditorium. I only wish I would've said those words five days ago.''
Santa-Maria left a message for his sister, Lynne Beardsley, on her voice-mail machine at work late Monday night. When Beardsley's secretary reviewed the messages the next morning, she heard instructions for Beardsley to direct the Brookfield police to the cemetery.
At Mass Friday, Beardsley said her brother ''wants me to tell you you must forgive yourselves -- there was nothing that you did or didn't do'' to contribute to his death.
Santa-Maria was remembered Friday as a vivacious public servant, a go-getter who spoke his mind with conviction without fear of angering others. That was true in late 1997 when he criticized Rowland's choice for public safety commissioner, Lt. Col. William T. McGuire, and again, just last week, when he came out against Scott Smith, the New Milford police officer charged with murder.
Santa-Maria said his experience as a police officer who had survived a shooting in 1991 and his reading of Smith's arrest warrant led him to believe that Smith used excessive force when he shot Franklyn Reid in the back while trying to arrest him Dec. 29.
Santa-Maria was criticized by police officers and others after the Jan. 22 publication of his opinion. Some speculate that this criticism might have affected his state of mind before his death.
Still, law enforcement workers from all over Connecticut turned out for Santa-Maria's funeral. At the grave, Bethel police officers walked up to the casket one by one and saluted. Then, two by two, members of other forces -- from Suffolk County, N. Y., to Stratford -- did the same. Some officers left their white gloves on the coffin, beside the red roses placed there by Santa- Maria's family.
Nearly 1,000 people -- including Gov. John G. Rowland, Lt. Gov. Jodi Rell, a Brookfield resident as was Santa-Maria, and about 100 police officers from around the state -- attended the service at St. Joseph's Church in the legislator's small hometown. State police, Capitol officers, and colleagues from the Bethel Police Department saluted his casket when it was brought into the vestibule.
House Colleagues Honor Dead Legislator
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER; Courant Staff Writer, March 11, 1999
State Rep. Raymond V. Collins said his last conversation with Scott Santa-Maria was confusing. Santa-Maria, a 30-year-old state representative from Brookfield, told his friend, "I have to go away for a while. . . . It's something I have to do." "I had no idea what he was talking about," said Collins, a West Haven Republican. "Now, I do." A week later, on Jan. 25, Santa- Maria, a police officer in Bethel, killed himself in a Brookfield cemetery, next to the grave of a childhood friend who had died suddenly in 1988.
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