Marysville is planning observances for Memorial Day on Monday. At 8:15 a.m., in Schwartzkopf Park, there will be a wreath ceremony honoring those lost at sea. There will be a parade at 9 a.m., beginning at Fifth and Plum Streets and concluding at Oakdale Cemetery, where a ceremony will be held at 9:45 a.m. City crews have spent the week beautifying the city, preparing for summer activities and cleaning and maintaining Oakdale Cemetery ahead of the Memorial Day holiday. Above, Mason Ferguson, left, and Bailey Peake work to lay and spread mulch at the cemetery.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Mac Cordell)
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Communities throughout Union County have services planned to observe Memorial Day and commemorate the lost lives of U.S. servicemembers. All services listed below will be held on Monday, May 29.
Marysville
Marysville’s Memorial Day ceremonies will revolve around the theme “Welcome Home” in tribute to the Vietnam Veterans as residents remember the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords.
Ceremonies will begin at 8:15 a.m. in Schwartzkopf Park with a service to honor the dead lost at sea.
A chaplain will offer the prayer and Vietnam Coast Guard Veteran Larry Morey, CWOF (Ret.) will present the wreath.
The Navy Hymn will be sung by Nacrina Alvarez-Blanco.
Community members are invited to attend to pay their respects but are asked not to bring pets. Those in attendance are asked to park in the north parking lot, 701 N. Maple St.
The parade will begin forming at 8:15 a.m. on Plum Street at East Fourth Street and will proceed up Fifth Street to Oakdale Cemetery beginning at 9 a.m. An inclement weather route will be shortened to proceed to Veterans Auditorium on Sixth Street for the ceremony.
The Marysville Middle School Band will give a pre-ceremony concert at Oakdale Cemetery at 9 a.m. The Marysville High School Band will provide music in the park and at Oakdale.
Flags will be given to children ahead of the parade.
Parade organizers, though, asked those in attendance to remember “this is a solemn occasion, so no clowns in the parade, no candy to be thrown during the parade (and) no political or other advertising.”
“All should stand proudly and place their right hand over their heart to show proper respect when the American flag passes and… please encourage your children to do so,” parade organizers asked.
At 9:45 a.m., ceremonies will begin at Oakdale Cemetery (unless inclement weather moves the ceremony to Veterans Auditorium).
Special Honorees of the ceremony will include Prisoners of War and Missing in Action, and Military/Gold Star Families.
Two outstanding local students will also participate in the ceremonies.
Garet Wodich will present General John ‘Black Jack’ Logan’s orders establishing Decoration Day in 1868, which eventually became Memorial Day.
He is the son of Brian and Krisztin and has one brother, Caden.
Garet’s has numerous relatives that have served in the military including two of his great-grandfathers who were drafted for the Korean War.
He is currently a Junior in the ABeka Academy homeschool program.
He attends Living Hope Church in Marysville, and is a member of Trail Life Troop OH-0316, a ministry of Living Hope Church. Garet volunteers at the Champaign County Library in his free time and enjoys outdoor activities.
He is interested in the early history of our country and in mechanical engineering, which he hopes to study in the future. He is a Buckeye Boys State representative from American Legion Post 79 Auxiliary.
Libby Greenbaum will present President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Her parents are Lanny and Heather Greenbaum and she has a brother, Trey.
Her father is a retired U.S. Air Force veteran.
Libby is graduating as a home schooled senior.
She is very involved with Scouting, as she is an Eagle Scout with Troop 777 of Cornerstone Methodist Church. She is also in the Brotherhood of the Order of the Arrow.
Libby is also a Stars and Stripes recipient with the American Heritage Girls, their highest award.
She represents the VFW as a Voice of Democracy participant.
Her future plans are to attend Cedarville University.
U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran Richard Campbell will be the guest speaker.
Campbell is a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, serving as a Supply Sergeant with the 5th Communication Battalion, III Marine Amphibious Force. He was stationed at Camp Hoa Long near Da Nang. He was ‘in country’ in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968.
He currently serves as the District Chaplain of VFW District 11, and is the VFW 3320 Post Quartermaster.
He is also on the Memorial Day Committee, the Veterans Remembrance Committee as Vice-Chair, on the ‘Wall that Heals’ Committee to bring that Vietnam Memorial to Union County in 2024 and a liaison with the Fair Board for the Veterans Appreciation Day at the Union County Fair.
In his spare time he also serves as Treasurer for the Kennard Nazarene Church.
Seven wreaths will be presented at Oakdale Cemetery to honor the organizations comprising the Memorial Day Committee, and a wreath will be posted in remembrance of all Prisoners of War and Missing in Action.
There will be 12 wreaths posted to honor the veterans of the major conflicts in which the U.S. has been involved, and one wreath for all those that have served in America’s military forces throughout the years.
The VFW-sponsored Honor Guard will provide military honors.
Alvarez-Blanco will sing during the ceremony at Oakdale Cemetery.
She is well-known for her great voice, not only in the Union County area, but in places such as the Pentagon, the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel, and has even opened for recording artists like Diana Ross.
Seating at Oakdale will be limited, but those in attendance may bring lawn chairs or blankets. Those in attendance are asked to park in the Municipal Court parking lot across Raymond Road.
Following the ceremony at Oakdale, there will be a short service at the Catholic Cemetery conducted by VFW Post 3320, and at the Amrine Cemetery conducted by American Legion Post 79.
There will also be a ceremony at VFW Post 3320 following the cemetery observances.
Marysville Memorial Day Ceremonies are sponsored by the Memorial Day Committee with representatives of American Legion Post 79, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3320, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 55, American Veterans Post 28, Blue Star Mothers Chapter 22, Hanna Emerson Dustin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, 40 and 8 Voiture Locale 857 and the American Legion Post 79 and VFW Post 3320 Ladies Auxiliaries.
Plain City
The Village of Plain City and American Legion Post 248 invite community members to commemorate Memorial Day with a parade and observances.
The parade will launch at 10 a.m. from Pastime Park and follow a southward route along Chillicothe Street and Cemetery Pike before ending at Forest Grove Cemetery, 8270 Cemetery Pike.
Along the way, observances are planned at Darby Township Cemetery (located across the street from Plain City Elementary School) and wreath laying ceremony at the Cemetery Pike Bridge over the Big Darby Creek.
The stops will allow those in attendance to reflect and remember those who have given their lives for Americans’ freedom.
At the conclusion of the parade at Forest Grove Cemetery, Col. (Ret.) Homer C. Rogers, Jr. will share his experiences and shed light on the sacrifices made by servicemen and servicewomen.
The service will include music from talented musicians from Jonathan Alder Local Schools and will conclude with a moment of silence, taps and a salute.
Darby Township
Darby Township officials encourage any community members who would like to participate in the parade to meet at the Darby Township building at 9 a.m.
The parade will begin at 9:30 a.m., departing from the township building and proceeding to the old Unionville Center Cemetery.
A Memorial Day ceremony will begin at 10 a.m., featuring music by Kevin Mabry and guest speaker Captain Joey Newell. A roll call of all Darby Township veterans who rest in peace will also be conducted.
A luncheon will be held on the Unionville Center Green at 11 a.m.
Jerome Township
The township’s Memorial Day celebrations will begin with a parade at 10 a.m. that will depart from Jerome Methodist Church and continue to the Jerome Cemetery.
The parade will feature the Scout troop from Jerome Methodist Church as well as the Dublin Jerome High School marching band.
Immediately following the parade there will be a short ceremony at the cemetery featuring Lt. Col. (Ret.) Bonnie Gamary.
Richwood
The Village of Richwood’s Memorial Day parade will begin at 10 a.m., following the usual rout from Oak Street to Franklin Street to Gill Street.
Following the parade, there will be a ceremony at the cemetery.
Dover Township
Dover Township will hold services at 9 a.m. at the north end of York Cemetery, just north of Route 739.
Although the road is closed, the state will open it up to Miller Road for the day.
Local resident Nancy Wiley will be the guest speaker.
Milford Center
Milford Center will host its Memorial Day ceremony at 9 a.m. at the cemetery.
Broadway
Broadway will have a Memorial Day ceremony at 10 a.m. at the cemetery.
Raymond
Raymond will host a Memorial Day ceremony at 10:30 a.m. at the cemetery.
Jackson Township
Jackson Township will hold a 9 a.m. service at Price Cemetery.