WAKEFIELD — The Dog Park on Main Street in the Junction is now the Peter J. May Memorial Dog Park after the Town Council voted Thursday to name the park in memory of their late colleague who spearheaded its creation.

A formal dedication will be scheduled in the coming weeks.

Peter May passed away at his home on Oct. 4, after a more than two-year battle with ALS. He was 62.

Due in large part to May’s efforts, the Dog Park was created on an unused parcel of town-owned land at 667 Main Street. The park was opened in the fall of 2016, after what was then the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in favor of its creation.

Then in the first year of his first term on the Board, May said at the time that that when he was campaigning for a seat on the board the previous spring, scores of people he met spoke of their wish for a dog park where their canines could run around off leash in a fenced-in area.

Being responsive to the needs and wants of Wakefield citizens became a hallmark of May’s service as a selectman and later a Town Councilor.

Prior to last week’s vote to dedicate the dog park in May’s name, the six remaining Town Councilors shared memories of their late colleague as a chair sat empty behind his nameplate.

“It’s very hard to be here without him,” Council chair Julie Smith-Galvin said, before calling for a moment of silence.

Smith-Galvin recalled that May was chairman the year that she first joined the Town Council.

“He was so giving in terms of how the process works,” she said, recalling meeting him for lunch at Sakura soon after she was elected. She said that he helped to demystify the Town Council and advised her to simply “be yourself.”

Ann Santos served the longest with May on the board. Councilor Santos admitted that she and may didn’t always voted the same way or agree on every issue.

“But we knew we were both doing what we thought was best,” she said. She noted that she and May would share friendly text messages during meetings after his illness robbed him if the ability to speak.

“It was just so sincere,” she recalled. “We could all take from him that aspect of civility and kindness and caring for other people. I will miss him.”

Councilor Jonathan Chines recalled that the day that he pulled papers to run for election, the first person to come up, shake his hand and thank him for running was May, who was up for re-election that year. May was also the first to sign one of his competitor’s nomination papers, Chines recalled.

“It was a class act and showed the person he was,” Chines said. “He was a gentleman and someone who exuded kindness.”

Town Councilor Anne Danehy noted that she had only served a short time on the board with May.

“But when I decided to run, I texted him and asked for advice.” She recalled his response was, “Be yourself and always put Wakefield first.”

“That was how he led,” Danehy recalled. “He had a lot of integrity and was always very kind. I might not have always aligned with him politically, but he was an example of how we should all conduct ourselves.”

Councilor Mehreen Butt remembered that when she decided to run for election, May invited her to knock on his door.

“I sat at his kitchen counter for hours,” she recalled. She said that she remembered all of the events they attended together before COVID and before his illness, including marching in the July Fourth Parade.

Town Administrator Stephen P. Maio spoke of May as a man “who was wonderful to his family.” Maio noted that that went beyond his wife Eileen and his son Connor. May was often seen in the company of his aunt Helen.

“Peter was so good to his Aunt Helen,” Maio said. “He took her everywhere. I will miss Peter a lot.”

Maio closed by sharing one of May’s favorite sayings, “It’s all about the W,” for Wakefield.

Town Councilor Edward Dombroski offered his thoughts.

“We all share a collective loss with Peter’s passing,” Dombroski said. There was such depth to his commitment to our community. Up to three weeks before his passing, he was participating in Town Council meetings. He took the job seriously and had incredible compassion toward the people of his community.”

Dombroski said that he and May would often talk about ways to make Wakefield better and solve problems for citizens.

“He may have lost his voice but he didn’t lose his spirit and that’s something that will carry on in our community for many years to come. He did a lot of impactful work that has made Wakefield a better place. I miss him incredibly already.”

Dombroski then made the motion to rename the Wakefield Dog Park located on Main St. in honor of the late Town Councilor Peter May, to be known as the Peter J. May Memorial Dog Park.

“Early on in his tenure Peter was instrumental in the creation of this dog park, which has become a popular destination throughout the years for our two and four-legged residents, alike,” Dombroski said. “It is especially befitting that this park, a place of gathering, socializing and enjoyment for so many within our community, be named for such a devoted public servant who led with the basic principle of doing right by the “W,” our Town of Wakefield that he so loved.”

Prior to the vote, Councilor Ann Santos observed, “But for Peter May, we wouldn’t have a dog park.”

Dombroski’s motion passed by a unanimous 6-0 vote.