Funeral Mass Saturday March 26th for Vincent J. Doffont Jr.

Today, Saturday, March 26, 2022, is the Funeral Mass at Holy Cross Church in Harrison of Harrison Firefighter Vincent J. Doffont, Jr. at 11 a.m.   The public is welcome.  You might want to wear your mask as a symbol of respect for the family and Firefighters who have seen first hand along with Harrison Ambulance Service from St. Michael Medical Center the impact Covid had on Harrisonians.

A week ago most of us did not know Firefighter Doffont.  Maybe he was on duty at the Harrison Fire Station during the St. Patrick’s Parade on March 13^th or maybe he was in one of the Town of Harrison’s Firefighters who walked or were on the fire apparatus that was celebrating the United Irish St. Patrick’s Parade after a two-year hiatus because of the Covid 19 pandemic. Because God had another plan, yesterday family, friends, colleagues, Harrisonians, and total strangers came to pay their respect for Vincent J. Doffont Jr. during Visitation directed by the Mulligan Funeral Home at the Holy Cross Church in Harrison.  A great honor for Vincent J. Doffont Jr. to have his viewing at Holy Cross Church. 

We left off Harrison Firefighter because although he was a Harrison Firefighter, he was much more. For those who did not have the opportunity to meet him, we got a sense this week from testimonials on Facebook, Instagram, and the Mulligan Funeral Home website of how special Vincent J. Doffont Jr. was as a person. It just makes it harder to come to terms with the fact that after a training exercise where he was teaching other Firefighters how to vent the smoke out of a building during a fire to help your fellow Fighters fight a future fire, he had what has been termed a cardiac attack and passed at the Harrison Fire Station on Sussex Avenue.

Usually, Firefighters and the EMT Firefighters are used to receiving a call for help and attending to residents and providing life-saving assistance and transportation to a medical center.  Getting a call for help within your own Fire Station and not being able to save your fellow Firefighter must take a toll on you.  Firefighters and EMT Firefighters are used to being professionals and dealing with calls for help and saving lives.  To lose a fellow Firefighter in your Firehouse is not something you were trained to anticipate for sure.

Vincent J. Doffont Jr. was 37 years old, married and a father of two children.  He grew up in Harrison and currently resided in North Arlington.  North Arlington is far enough to be away from work but not that far that you could not quickly get to the Harrison Firehouse in case of an emergency. Even when Harrisonians leave Harrison, they never leave Harrison.  Vincent was a Harrisonian who joined the United States Armed Forces and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.  From the comments online we learned that he was special for more than his service to his country.  He was always special even as a young child.  He made his mark even before he served his country.  He had a lot going for him before he joined the Harrison Fire Department.  He had after serving his nation as a soldier, been a Hudson County Sheriff and a Harrison Police Officer but he then decided to follow the footsteps of his family members to serve Harrison as a Firefighter.  His family members are retired having serviced the residents of Harrison with honor. They too are in shock at Vincent’s passing.  Vincent’s young age makes it difficult to accept that he has physically left us.  This week has been a week to reflect upon how special Vincent was and how God has a plan. We may not understand it. We might not see the plan but we know Vincent is with his wife and children in spirit and all those that he touched during his life.

We have not mentioned Vincent’s sports skills.  Jim Hague, the Sports Writer for the Observer who retired two weeks ago, did a wonderful story on Vincent in the Observer newspaper.  I’m sure Vincent is smiling at being honored on the front page.

Our condolences to his wife and children, his family, friends, and colleagues.  May he Rest in Peace.

If you want to assist the family, please donate to the Go Fund Me Account for the College Funds of Vincent’s children by clicking on the Go Fund Me Account above.

Vincent J. Doffont Jr. will be buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, NJ.  The Family has requested that the gravesite mass and burial be attended only by family and Harrison Firefighters.