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Earlville returns to traditional spot for Memorial Day ceremony
For first time since pandemic struck, salute held in Fairview Cemetery
May. 29, 2023 5:34 pm, Updated: May. 30, 2023 9:51 am
EARLVILLE — On Monday, red, white and blue colored the rolling hills of gray headstones and green grass in the Fairview Cemetery. The tiny American flags dotting the graves flickered with life in a soft breeze. Three larger flags stood tall in the center of the cemetery — the ceremony square — where a small crowd gathered in the morning
Monday was the first Memorial Day marked in Fairview Cemetery in Earlville since the COVID-19 pandemic began. In 2020 and 2021, the ceremony transitioned to a car and golf cart parade around town, complete with homes decorated in American memorabilia. Last year, it took place in the neighboring St. Joseph’s Cemetery — a larger space with more room for attendees to spread out.
Now, the small town has gathered in its traditional spot once again.
“It's like going back home,” said Loras Mensen, commander of the Earlville Carpenter-Diesch-White American Legion Post 436 since 2004. He has been part of the Legion for nearly 30 years and spent 23 years in the Army Reserves.
The American Legion is a nationwide veterans service organization with posts around the country. Earlville’s Legion hosts fundraisers and attends funerals, football games and parades. It has 37 members, Mensen said. He estimated there are between 45 and 50 veterans within city limits. And every year, they gather to commemorate and honor veterans on Memorial Day.
The ceremony
The Memorial Day event began with about 10 members of the Legion marching into the ceremony square, rifles resting on their shoulders and flags in their hands. They turned to face the three tall flagpoles, where Mensen stood.
He started with a prayer and a student from a local high school sang the national anthem. Then, his voice trembling with emotion, he read a poem about a soldier standing before God at the gates of heaven, called “The Final Inspection.”
Shannon Richardson, a member of the Legion, spoke about the real meaning of the word “sacrifice”: the act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded more worthy. He pointed out the many flags alongside gravestones — a symbol of sacrifice by service members.
“On this beautiful day, this long weekend, this day of going to the lake, for grilling in the backyard or gathering family and friends, let’s all pause,” he said. “Let’s remember and pray for those that sacrifice their lives for the betterment of us.”
The Legion awarded three $100 checks to the Earlville Fire and Ambulance Department, the Earlville Community Club and the Boy Scouts. A rendition of “Amazing Grace” followed, along with a closing prayer and the sounding of “taps” — an end-of-day military bugle call now used during military memorial ceremonies and funerals.
Finally, the ceremony concluded with an iconic three-volley salute from the Legion’s firing squad. The booms of the rifles reverberated around the graves of the men and women they were honoring.
Attendees honor veterans
Hilda DeMuth was among the attendees watching the ceremony. Her husband was in the Army for six years and then the Air Force for 20 years. On Monday, she sat in the Fairview Cemetery with a faux poppy pinned to her sleeve and a scarf dotted with American flags around her neck.
No matter where they lived, DeMuth, 78, said she was very proud to be a military wife. Her husband is now part of Earlville’s Legion and participated in the Memorial Day ceremony.
“We knew that he was military first and family second,” she said with a chuckle. “That’s the one time you can say that.” She was active in Guttenberg’s American Legion Auxiliary, which is a national organization formed to support members of the American Legion.
Doug Steil, 46, was part of the ceremony. He had been in the National Guard for eight years, stationed in Waterloo. He has now been part of Earlville’s Legion for about six years. His 41-year-old wife, Ami, and 16-year-old son, Levi, came to support him at the Memorial Day service.
“It’s a great honor to have him serve and to be a part of it,” Ami Steil said. “We’re here to celebrate servicemen who are living and who are not here.”
Participation decreasing, but tradition lives on
Al Otting, 84, was in the Army for two years from 1963-64 and then in the Legion for 23 years. He has come to Earlville’s Memorial Day ceremony almost every year and remembers when there were more participants.
“We’re getting down to where there’s not many even in the Legion anymore,” he said. “Every year, it’s getting less.”
Mensen said participation in Earlville’s Legion has gradually decreased due to difficulties recruiting new veterans. But many attendees have still returned year after year on Memorial Day to honor veterans.
At 97, Viola DeMoss is the oldest lifetime resident of Earlville — and she said she has never missed a veteran’s program. She is a second-generation immigrant from the former Yugoslavia. Her grandfather served in the Spanish-American War, her husband served in World War II and several of her kids and grandchildren were in the service.
“I’m proud of all of them. I’m thankful for everything they do,” she said. “I just wouldn’t ever miss (this event). … This country’s important to me.”
Comments: (319) 398-8370; brittney.miller@thegazette.com
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