Memorial Day in Owego; Remembering the fallen

By JoAnn R. Walter —

In Owego, N.Y. Memorial Day has held special significance for veterans and the community for decades. It is a time to remember and honor those who died while in active service to our country. It is also a time to come together united and to reflect and show gratitude to those who gave their lives so that we all could go on to live in freedom.

The annual parade, coordinated by Parade Chairman John Loftus, is set to kick off at 10 a.m. on May 26, and will wind its way up North Avenue, east on Main Street, south on Paige Street, and west on Front Street.

The community is welcome to gather along the sidewalks, wave flags, and express their appreciation.  

Police cars will lead the parade, followed by multiple veterans groups and auxiliaries. 

Local police, government officials, civic and fraternal organizations, young people from Scouting America, the OFA Marching Band, Owego Elementary students, and more will take part in the parade.

As the parade concludes, the community is invited to gather at the Tioga County Veterans Memorial for a Service of Remembrance. 

Master of Ceremonies and Iraq Gold Star Mother Barbara Bilbrey will welcome all to Owego’s Service of Remembrance and will offer remarks. 

This year’s ceremony will be especially solemn and bittersweet as Jim Raftis, Sr., who passed away on May 11, will be remembered for his steadfast efforts in honoring and remembering Tioga County soldiers, as well as his commitment to enriching the lives of all in Tioga County, with a special place in his heart for veterans.

The V.F.W. Post 1371 Honor Guard will post the colors, patriotic music will be performed by the OFA Marching Band, and Owego Elementary students will take part in placing flags at the basket of remembrance by the memorials. 

Special guest speaker Erwin Flohr of the Netherlands, a long-time friend of Tioga County, is scheduled to speak.  

Erwin has cared for six Tioga County World War II fallen heroes since 2008, who rest in the Margraten American Cemetery in the Netherlands and at Belgium’s Henri-Chapelle Cemetery.

Flohr has been a faithful visitor to American cemeteries in the Netherlands and Belgium for many years. In 2017, Owego residents John and Carole Schubert delivered proclamations from the Tioga County Legislature and the N.Y.S. Senate in person to Erwin on a trip they made to the Netherlands. The proclamations thanked Erwin for his dedication and loyalty in caring for the gravesites of the fallen American heroes who served in World War II.

Later in the ceremony, the brave will be remembered with a wreath placed at the historic Civil War Memorial, erected in 1890. A wreath will also be cast from the Court Street Bridge into the Susquehanna River by a Naval Officer, and in memory of U.S. Navy heroes.  

The names of Tioga County’s Fallen Heroes will be read, as well as the names of Tioga County veterans who have died since Veterans Day. 

An invocation and benediction will be delivered, as will a rifle salute by the V.F.W. Honor Guard. As the ceremony concludes, a bugle rendition of Taps will be performed.

Prior to the remembrance ceremony, the annual Roll Call of Veterans resting in Tioga County cemeteries will be read live on WEBO AM FM 1330 starting at 8 a.m. Presenters are Mary Beth Jones of the Tioga County Courier and JoAnn R. Walter of The Owego Pennysaver.

Dorolyn Perry, V.F.W. Auxiliary Poppy Chairperson reminds the community that the “Buddy” Poppy represents the blood shed by American military service members and all of their sacrifices. Funds received from the purchase of the Buddy Poppy provide financial assistance for veterans’ rehabilitation and service programs, as well as support the V.F.W.  You can purchase a poppy at the Blue Dolphin or Sweeney’s in Apalachin, or in Owego at the Parkview, Carol’s Coffee and Art Bar, Early Owego Antique Center, the Community Shop, or Harris Diner.