Boston

Stabbing Victim's Widow Receives Memorial Barstool From Bertucci's

A Massachusetts Bertucci's location that had closed its doors after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection gave a Taunton widow a memory close to her heart.

The Silver City Galleria location, which closed on Monday, was where Rosemary Heath's husband George was fatally stabbed on May 10, 2016, as he came to the aid of a pregnant waitress.

The Heaths were having dinner when Arthur DaRosa, who had fatally stabbed an 80-year-old woman at her home earlier that night, walked in and stabbed the waitress. Heath grabbed DaRosa and was stabbed in the head before another restaurant patron, off-duty Plymouth County Deputy Sheriff James Creed, shot and killed DaRosa.

George Heath, a teacher at Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical School, frequented the restaurant and had a favorite barstool which was later dedicated in his memory.

On Monday morning, Bertucci's district manager called Rosemary Heath to let her know the restaurant was closing and to offer her George's barstool.

Rosemary went to the restaurant on Tuesday to pick up the stool, which she told NBC10 Boston she plans to put in her kitchen.

The visit was a bittersweet one.

"This is now going to be a place I can't come back to and see the people I grew close to," she said, adding, "But now it's about moving on, it's closing this chapter and moving on and keeping the promise I made to George to keep moving forward."

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