Patrick leaves DNC to attend soldier's funeral

Paul E. Conlon, a 2005 Mashpee High School graduate, was killed last Friday in a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick is planning to leave the Democratic National Convention tonight and return to Massachusetts to attend a funeral Tuesday morning for a soldier from Mashpee.

Governor Deval Patrick

Patrick will likely miss the start of the convention, which includes a tribute to Senator Edward M. Kennedy and a primetime speech by Michelle Obama. But he is expected to return to Denver Tuesday afternoon, in time for his speech to the convention floor tomorrow night.

Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray is also planning to return to Massachusetts tonight, and will join the governor at the funeral tomorrow for Army Private First Class Paul E. Conlon, Jr.

Conlon, 21, and a 2005 Mashpee High School graduate, was killed Aug. 15 in a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan while riding in a Humvee.

A funeral Mass will be held tomorrow at 10 a.m. at Christ the King Church in Mashpee, followed by burial at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

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