City to Name Broadsound Avenue Area ‘The Corey Abrams Community Garden’

During an emotional tribute to a beloved Revere resident, the City Council voted to name a new community garden on Broadsound Avenue in memory of former Beachmont community leader and city councilor Corey Abrams, who died on May 31, 2020, at the age of 44.

Corey Abrams’ father, former School Committee member Hal Ford Abrams, and sister, Kerry Abrams, the amazing woman who donated a kidney to John Nucci for a vital operation, were in attendance at the meeting via Zoom.

Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna made the motion to name the lot in Beachmont, “The Corey Abrams Community Garden.”

“Corey Abrams was my pal, he was everyone’s pal,” said McKenna. “He had an infectious laugh, his selflessness. He always gave back to the people in need and to his community, but it often went unnoticed.

“Corey was a true friend and I miss him every day. He was always advocating for me. Corey was dedicated to my campaign and he always called me once a week to check in and make sure I was OK.

“It would only be appropriate for the Beachmont community and the City of Revere to support the naming of the upcoming community garden on Broadsound Avenue to the Corey Abrams Community Garden,” said McKenna “This is a great honor to celebrate a kind young man and beautiful soul who was a staple in the Beachmont community and a friend to all.”

Ward 3 Arthur Guinasso said, “It was a pleasure knowing a young man as gracious as Corey Abrams. He was a wonderful individual and I’ve been blessed to have his life shared with me and my family and I shall never forget the wonderful gestures he made.”

Councilor-at-Large Steve Morabito said, “I couldn’t think of a better tribute in how to memorialize him in a better way than what Councilor McKenna proposed tonight.”

Councilor-at-Large George Rotondo delivered a personal, heartfelt tribute to Abrams.

“Corey was not only a councilor, but he was my friend and I miss him dearly,” said Rotondo. “I fully support this tribute to him and his family. I thank Joanne for putting this motion forward.”

Council President Patrick Keefe and Councillors Gerry Visconti, Anthony Zambuto, Ira Novoselsky, John Powers, Jessica Giannino, and Richard Serino also offered words of praise and deep respect for Corey Abrams.

“Not only was Corey Abrams a good person, but he was a dedicated husband, a loving father, and to top it off he was a Dom Savio graduate,” said Visconti.

“To know Corey Abrams was to love him,” said Zambuto, who served with Corey on the City Council. “The kid was a wonderful soul. He had a heart of gold and would do anything for everybody.”

“This is a great, great tribute to put something permanent in the City of Revere with Corey’s name on it,” said Novoselsky, who has known the Abrams family for many years. “He deserves it. He and I used to meet during snowstorms while we were plowing.”

“The Abrams family in Beachmont has been a staple there for years,” said Powers, a former resident of Beachmont. “On Winthrop Parkway, you’ll see all the homes that his grandfather built years and years ago.”

“Corey was just such a kind and caring and loving soul and a big part of that was because of his roots and his family,” said Giannino. “A lot of the conversations I had with Corey were around politics and he was always so engaged and interested in the community. I cannot think of a more fitting way to remember someone than a beautiful tribute like this.”

Serino said Corey Abrams “truly was a kind and gentle soul. I got to know him on various political campaigns working together. One of the last times I saw him was in Winthrop where he had a Christmas tree lot. We talked and we reminisced a bit and it was really a nice memory, one of last memories with him that I’ll always treasure.”

“Without knowing 20 years ago that the first live Christmas tree that I ever bought was from Corey’s lot on the Winthrop-East Boston line – fast forward many years later, my family became very close with the Abrams family and still is to this day,” said President Keefe. “When I think of Corey, I certainly think of his family, his loyalty, and of course I think of his family. That’s how I’ll always remember Corey.”

Corey Abrams’ childhood friend, Felipe, said that “I remember playing basketball, riding our bicycles, and swimming in Corey’s pool in the summer. I remember Corey always trying to make people laugh, no matter where we were or what we were doing. He was kind, generous, funny, very hard-working, and especially a friend. You could always count on Corey. He truly cared for people and always wanted the best for everyone. To me, Corey is the definition of what a father, son, brother, and friend should be, He loved his family and his friends dearly. Corey was a special person to many people. All the people around him, loved him. Corey has left a footprint in the hearts of many, especially those in the Revere community.”

James DiSabatino offered his family’s support of The Corey Abrams Community Garden.

Former mayor Dan Rizzo said, “The City of Revere does have a very steep history in honoring and remember prominent residents and certainly Corey Abrams falls into that category.”

Rizzo also read a beautifully written letter that he offered in support of Councilor McKenna’s motion. “Corey was well known and well loved,” said Rizzo. “It was hard to not be totally consumed with his sense of humor and infectious laugh. He was one of the most kind-hearted, generous, compassionate people I have ever known. I think [the naming of the community garden] is a wonderful tribute to Corey and his family and I’m proud to support it.”

A tenant who had lived in Corey Abrams’ former childhood home, said that Corey Abrams was a wonderful, generous person who helped out senior citizens in the neighborhood by providing them with rides to the polls among other acts of kindness.

That tenant shared a story of how her residence had been flooded in the aftermath of a blaze that had destroyed the unit next door.

“I selfishly started to think of my kids’ gifts hidden in the closet,” she recalled. “Corey brought me over to a fire truck, opened the door – he had saved every gift. We started working on my unit the week before Christmas so I could stay there for Christmas. This community garden is a wonderful idea.”

On behalf of Corey Abrams’ family, his wife, and their five children, Kerry Abrams thanked the City Council naming the community garden in honor of her brother.