Funeral procession for Laconia DPW's Kenny Martel honors 47-year career

The funeral procession for former Laconia Department of Public Works general mechanic Kenneth Martel, who died at age 82 this month, included 15 trucks from area towns on Tuesday morning. Martel was a 47-year employee of Laconia DPW. The procession started at the downtown garage and made its way to Sacred Heart Cemetery. The trucks came from as close as Gilford and all the way from Bridgewater and Plymouth. Organizer Steve Smith, general equipment operator for Laconia DPW, made the calls to surrounding towns to invite them to join the procession. He said after his initial conversations, other towns' departments started making their own calls. Smith believed the willingness of other towns to participate stood as a testament to how well-respected Martel was in the region. "I've never seen a procession like this before. I think it's a good thing for the man," Smith said. "He would have loved to see this." (Daniel Sarch/The Laconia Daily Sun photos)