Woman raises money for scholarship fund in honor of late husband

TAUNTON, Mass. — It's been a year-and-a-half since Rosemary Heath and her husband were sitting at Bertucci's in Taunton when a man barged into the restaurant with a knife and began attacking a waitress.

To Heath and her husband of 14 years it was just a normal day at the Taunton Silver City Galleria Mall until George Heath put himself in danger to save a stranger's life.

"Thank God he was there," said Mary Beth Dugan, a bartender at Bertucci's.

George, who died saving a life, was a beloved and popular visual design teacher at the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School.

Now, Rosemary puts time, effort and love into raising money in her late husband's honor for his former students through the George Heath Superhero Scholarship fund.

"We had the best part of our lives when he started teaching because he became the happiest person ever," said Rosemary Heath.

Sitting at the bar at the same Bertucci's where the attack happened, Rosemary feels comforted by the staff who will forever remember George as the hero he was.

"This is like a second family," said Rosemary. "George did not die here, his last heroic act was here and so I have to think about it as a positive and if I can hang onto that positive then I'm good."

"Sometimes at night when I put the chairs up at the end of the shift, I tap it and say 'Hey George,'" said Mary Beth.

For her, it's a way to move on without ever forgetting.

"I come back here and I have my beer with him and I sit in his seat that is dedicated to him so it's really nice," Rosemary said.

Last year, Rosemary raised $11,000 dollars for the scholarship fund and this year she expects to raise even more.

Cox Media Group