Community remembers Lovejoy

WINSTED AND COLEBROOK — Owen Lovejoy, 18, committed suicide by jumping off of the New Street overpass above Route 8 and on to the road on Friday, Sept. 19.

According to State Police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance, Lovejoy jumped off of the overpass at around 11:08 a.m.

The suicide was witnessed by an individual who Vance did not identify.

Lovejoy was pronounced dead at the scene.

Vance said that an investigation remains ongoing, including an autopsy by the state’s medical examiner’s office.

However, Vance said that there appears to be no criminal or suspicious circumstances surrounding Lovejoy’s death.

Lovejoy, a Colebrook resident, graduated in June from Northwestern Regional High School.

He played drums with the band Chronic Rhythm from 2011 to 2013.

Frank Guglielmino, who is the father of band member Sam Guglielmino and is the band’s manager, said he had fond memories of Lovejoy.

“He will be very missed, and we all miss him already,” Guglielmino said. “He was a family member to us, and this is a tragedy that he is gone. He worked very hard to become quite good on trombone, then he decided to switch to drums. Unfortunately due to health issues he had to give up playing in 2013.”

Frank Guglielmino said his son Sam grew up with Lovejoy since kindergarten.

“This really hit us really hard,” he said. “He was just a great kid. This is just a horrible thing. We all loved him like a son. The band will be dedicating their next album to him.”

Colebrook First Selectman Tom McKeon was Lovejoy’s Sunday school teacher at Colebrook Congregational Church for 14 years.

“This is devastating that this has happened,” McKeon said. “He was always a good and smart kid. He was always polite and he had a great family. This is just sad.”

Norfolk resident Shelley Harms said she knew Lovejoy because he was friends with both of her children.

“I knew him as a really smart and talented kid,” Harms said. “He was a really good trombone player in the school’s jazz band. He really showed so much promise.”

After his graduation, Lovejoy worked as a dishwasher at the Northwest YMCA’s Camp Jewell.

One of his co-workers was Jasmine Perrault, who is also a contributor and cartoonist for The Winsted Journal.

“I could talk to him about anything and he could get what I was saying,” Perrault said. “He was a great friend. He was a great guy and very intelligent.”

A celebration of life service will be held on Friday, Oct. 3, at 6 p.m. at the Colebrook Senior and Community Center at 2 School House Road. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 11 a.m. at the First Church of Winsted.