2025 Memorial Day Programs scheduled for May 26

Area communities will honor their local veterans during Memorial Day programs Monday, May 26.

Waterville will hold their program at 8:15 a.m. Elysian will follow with their program at 9:30 a.m. Morristown will hold their program at 11 a.m. Kilkenny will have programs at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., and 11 a.m.

The Memorial Day Ceremony in Waterville will be held at the Memorial Park on the corner of E Hoosac St and S. 3rd Street.

The Waterville ceremony will include an invocation from Allen Nevalainen, Associate Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Waterville. Music will be provided by Hold Fast, and the remembrance ceremony will be conducted by Brent Fox, a WEM Graduate from the Class of 1990.

Fox began his Navy career by attending Boot Camp during the Gulf War in January of 1991. After his active-duty enlistment, he continued his 22 years of service by joining the Navy Reserve. As a reservist, he traveled the world serving in military security and even spent two years in Japan for emergency and disaster management. The ceremony will conclude with the Elysian American Legion Post 311 color guard posting colors and presenting a 21-gun salute in honor of our veterans.

The Memorial Day program allows us all as a community the ability to reflect and recognize our servicemen and women, both past and present, who have protected our rights and freedoms through their sacrifices,” This year the remembrance ceremony will bring special recognition and honor to Local Veterans who have passed away from Last Memorial Day to this Memorial day. We invite the families of these veterans to pay special tribute to their loved ones.

This year, those being honored in Waterville are: Ralph Dyer – Army, Mahlon Grubish – Army, George Carlson – Army, Jack Prehn – Army, Melvin Quiram – Army , Rohn Halvorson – Air Force, Robert Grundhoffer – Navy, Donald Kewatt – Army, Carl Hutchison – Army, Robert Schostag – Army National Guard, Mark Clemmer – Army, Gerald Mason – Army, and Ralph Hagen – Army.

The rain backup will be at The Village in Waterville. American veterans deserve our most profound respect, gratitude, and support whenever and wherever they serve 

The Memorial Day schedule for Elysian Post 311 will include visits to the Greenland Cemetery (7 a.m.), German Lake Cemetery (7:20 a.m.), St. Peter (Bell) Lutheran Cemetery (7:55 a.m.), Cannonville Cemetery (8:20 a.m.), Waterville Veterans Memorial (8:45 a.m.), and Cedar Hill Cemetery in Elysian at 9:30 a.m.

A program will be held at Cedar Hill.

In Morristown, a line-up will be held at 10:45 a.m. with an Honor Parade to Memorial Park at 11 a.m. Those participating at Legion Commander Keith Remund, Pastor Elden Ecklund, Pastor Eugene Chase, Junior Auxiliary Member Peyton James, Junior Auxiliary Member Julia Haag, Cyril Palm, and Ben Meschke.

An Avenue of Flags will be displayed by SAL/Legion at Riverside Cemetery. There will be a luncheon at the social hall provided by the auxiliary following the program.

In Kilkenny, they will lead Memorial Day Services at the following local cemeteries: Sabre Lake (9 a.m.), Trebon (10 a.m.), and Calvary (11 a.m.). There will be a community pot luck following the services at noon at the Kilkenny Community Center/Library