DORCHESTER — The large crowd at the new firehouse in Meeting House Hill in Dorchester came to celebrate the opening of the second new firehouse in Boston in 40 years and to honor the memory of Marie (Finn) Conley, a crossing guard at the Mather School who died on October 29, 2008 after being struck eight days earlier when shielding a child from an oncoming car.

In 2011, Conley was named as a recipient of the Citizen Honors “Citizen Service Above Self” Award by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

Conley, 58, was a Neponset resident and mother of three, including son Chris, who was serving as a Marine when his mother died is now a Boston firefighter assigned to the Meeting House Hill station. The new $25 million firehouse is home to Engine 17 and Ladder 7. It is located just a few doors away from the 100-year-old station that it replaces. The memorial to Conley sits just outside the firehouse and joining Boston Fire Department Commissioner Paul Burke, Mayor Michelle Wu, fire and city officials, and other notables were many members of the Conley and Finn families.

All photos by Bill Brett