Mr. William "Boomer" Boucher, EMT-P

A true EMS “Hero”, the longest continuously serving Paramedic in CT

WATERBURY– It is with great sadness and profound grief that we announce the passing of CT’s longest continuously serving paramedic, William T. “Boomer” Boucher, age 71 of Waterbury, who passed away on Wednesday November 8, 2023 surrounded by some of his closest friends and colleagues at Waterbury Hospital after an extended illness. He was the husband of the late Laura Leonetti Boucher.

Boomer was born November 12, 1951 in Waterbury, the son of the late William and Mary (Sullivan) Boucher. He was a graduate of Crosby High School and was a graduate of one of the very first EMT classes in CT. His storied career in EMS began with Waterbury Ambulance Service in 1975 which was renamed MedStar Inc. in 1987 and was ultimately acquired by AMR in 1996. Bill was the longest continuously serving Paramedic in Connecticut. He responded to literally thousands of emergencies over the decades, only stopping last year when he became ill. Boomer was a mentor to hundreds of EMS professionals that had the privilege to work with him. He treated every patient in his care with dignity and respect without regard for their situation or status. He was a gifted Paramedic, patient advocate, mentor, teacher, and true friend to many. He was also a very humble man and was always reluctant to receive praise or accolades for the extraordinary things he did for complete strangers. There is no way possible to accurately calculate the number of lives he touched in his remarkable career. Boomer would be the first to tell you it wasn’t all about the lights and sirens. Its about the hundreds of people you come in contact with, from saving the victim of a cardiac arrest to just holding the hand of an elderly woman on the way to a nursing home. The job of an EMS professional is unpredictable. It makes you incapable of guessing what you will do or where you will be that day. Every day is different from the next but the lives he touched over the years made him a “true hero” not just in the communities he served but uniquely with the men and women he worked with for over 47 years. He will be very sadly missed by all those who were blessed to know and love him.

Left to honor his legacy and cherish his memory, besides his many colleagues and partners are his sister; Kathleen Boucher of Wolcott and Marybeth Owens of Concord NC. His sisters would like to acknowledge and extended their most heartfelt appreciation to Jeremy Rodrigo and the many friends of Boomer from WAS, MedStar and AMR who were around him and cared for him in his final days. They all made such a huge difference during his transition, which he so richly deserved. On the day of his passing, the AMR contingent along with the funeral directors from Casey’s, carried him to the funeral home in the 1973 Cadillac ambulance he was so proud of, assuring him his final ride in the service that he devoted himself to for so many years.

Funeral Services for Mr. Boucher will be held on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 as follows: An EMS honor service will be conducted at Casey’s Eastside Memorial Funeral Home 1987 East Main St Waterbury CT 06705 from 3:00 until 3:45 p.m. Relatives and friends may visit with Boomer’s family and colleagues at the funeral home from 4:00 until 6:00 p.m. A celebration of his life will be conducted from 6:00 until 7:00 pm. which will be live-streamed through the funeral home website. Burial will be held at the convenience. Loving-kindness is always welcome, and it only takes a moment to offer a message of condolence, words of comfort, or share a memory with the family and friends of someone important to you. Please visit the funeral home’s tribute page at www.caseyfunerals.com to do so.