ROCHESTER —Friends and family of the Rochester man killed after being struck by a pickup truck while walking in Newton, Mass. Sunday remember Dennis Henry Casagrande, lovingly referred to as “Den,” for his kindness.
“He was the sweetest kid and always ready to have fun,” Caroline Lowe said, a Peabody, Mass. resident who said she met Casagrande through her boyfriend. The two grew incredibly close over the years, she said, as the 22-year-old traveled from Rochester to visit friends he had grown up with in the Greater Boston Area. He was often between staying at his mother Dawn (Dragon) Devanna’s home in Rochester and Danvers, Mass. where his father Steve Casagrande lives, Lowe explained.
Brian Bugler, a friend of Casagrande’s from Worcester, Mass., said they were friends since elementary school. The two graduated from Bishop Fenwick High School in Peabody, Mass. in 2007 where the Eagle Tribune reported Casagrande made honor roll as a junior. Bugler noted how Casagrande loved baseball, but skiing was one of his favorite past times.
Courtesy photo
Dennis Casagrande
<!–
Click here to view Foster’s prints for sale
–>
He said it had been about six months since he had visited with his dear friend and the news of his death was devastating to him.
“He was visiting a couple of our friends who live in Brighton ,” he said. “And unfortunately, they were all together and this happened. And it was just too bad.”
“He took care of all of his friends and they took care of him in return,” Lowe added, “He was loved by everyone who knew him.”
According to friends, Casagrande graduated from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire this month with a degree in biology and was sought after by a bioengineering firm. Lowe said he came to Massachusetts for the weekend and after going out with friends late Saturday night into Sunday morning, Casagrande attempted to walk back home to a friend’s apartment by himself and got lost.
“Dennis has an extremely tight-knit group of friends,” she said, “They went to a bar in Brighton … He was the last one to leave because he was having a lot fun and he didn’t want to leave yet.”
Lowe said many friends told her they had missed calls from Casagrande around 3 a.m., who she guessed was looking for help with directions but everyone was already asleep. About twenty minutes later police reported the man was struck by a 1999 Ford pickup truck operated by 21-year-old Beau Dellicker of Mendon, Mass., on Nonantum Road in Newton, Mass., close to the Brighton, Mass. city line. State police divisions from Brighton and South Boston, Mass. as well as Newton police, fire and rescue and Watertown Police responded to the scene. Officials announced Casagrande had succumbed to his injuries and died after he was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Massachusetts State Police said the state’s Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section could take weeks to complete their ongoing investigation, though Trooper Reid Bagley told Foster’s the situation seemed to be fairly “straight-forward.” Law enforcement officials could not comment on Dellicker’s state or if suspicious factors were at play in the accident.
A family statement read Casagrande was a devoted athlete and hobbyist who would not be forgotten.
“An avid fisherman, he enjoyed skiing, photography, golf and most importantly, spending time with his family and friends,” the statement reads. “His memory will always live on through his family and many dear friends.”
See Casagrande’s obituary for funeral services and memorial information.