Sharon Cozzi ~ The Bedford Fire Department’s ‘Admin Extraordinaire’ for 37 Years ~ Retired on May 10

The Fire Department will not be the same as of today May 10, 2021.

Sharon Cozzi has deservedly retired after a long tenure serving the Town of Bedford and its residents as the Fire Department’s administrative assistant. She was the anchor that quietly kept it running and all of us together for 37 years — and 42 years total for the town.

Sharon has been a babysitter, dog sitter, gift wrapper, financial advisor, keeper of secrets, keeper of gossip, sounding board, priest, psychiatrist, friend, family member, and the matriarch of Bedford Fire for nearly four decades.

If a Bedford firefighter has a baby, it was understood that the baby would be presented to Sharon for inspection and approval, basically a “rite of passage.”

Sharon has always done her job diligently and without judgment. She has a big heart and a great sense of humor, which you need to have, working with firefighters for that many years.

Sharon has done a lot of things behind the scenes that people are unaware of. She has:

• volunteered for Meals on Wheels for years;
• helped with wrapping gifts for Toys for Local Children during the holidays for needy families;
• has performed some emergency sewing on FD uniforms when requested; has gone over to the Council on Aging for some knitting with the ladies on most Wednesdays prior to Covid; and most recently has been actively participating in nearly all the Covid testing that the Fire Department has put on by registering people, making labels, and working the actual testing days.

The Fire Department is a strange environment to work in or describe to someone who has not experienced it. We work a rotating schedule that has us eating more meals with our coworkers in a week than our own families sometimes. We miss holidays and birthdays with our children and/or spouses from time to time but that is what this profession requires.

Sharon has been the constant in Bedford Fire for all the current firefighters’ careers. She is that calming and reliable face that everyone was so used to going over and seeing to chat with or touch base.

She will be sorely missed; I cannot emphasize that point enough. The Bedford Firefighters wish nothing more for her than to enjoy a long, happy and healthy retirement.

We love you, and it will not be the same without you in that office!