Reading pauses to remember
A dedicated crowd turned out despite deteriorating weather for ceremonies at four town cemeteries.
(3-minute read)
A Reading Police cruiser leads the full procession down Main STreet under grey skies. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
The morning started overcast as Reading’s Memorial Day parade made its way through town, grey skies but dry, with a thin dedicated crowd lining the route. The Reading Memorial High School Marching Band and Color Guard led the parade along the route, their music carrying through the still morning air. By the time the Laurel Hill ceremony was underway, the rain had arrived. It fell steadily through much of the morning, accompanying the proceedings at Laurel Hill, Forest Glen, and Charles Lawn before finally easing ahead of the final ceremony at Wood End, where a brief clearing offered a small reprieve.
The weather did nothing to diminish the commitment of those who showed up. At Laurel Hill, Veteran Services William (Will) Valliere served as master of ceremonies. Reverend Steven Zukus opened with an invocation, and Zack Dhaliwal, Staff Director for Representative Haggerty’s office, delivered the official commemoration. U.S. Air Force Veteran Jill Mayberry honored Reading veterans who passed away over the past year in a moving call of honor.
VSO Will Valliere delivers remarks at the Laurel Hill ceremony as town officials and veterans look on from under the tent. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
Remarks from the ceremony
Town Manager Jayne Wellman
Wellman centered her remarks on the quiet, everyday nature of true service. She argued that the best of Reading’s character shows not in grand gestures, but in small, consistent acts - the kind that don’t make headlines but sustain a community. She called on residents to volunteer, actively support veterans, and ensure children understand why Memorial Day is more than a day off. The memories of the fallen, she said, stay alive as long as we choose to keep them so.
Select Board Vice Chair Karen Rose-Gillis
“Quiet acts of service reflect the best parts of our community.”
Rose-Gillis spoke to the bonds that sacrifice creates and the responsibility those bonds carry. She noted that everyone in the crowd already understands the weight of loss, and that shared understanding is itself a reason to show up. Her message was direct: Memorial Day is not a once-a-year obligation. The same spirit that brings people out on a rainy Monday morning should carry through the other 364 days, in the way neighbors look after one another and communities hold together.
Ret. U.S. Navy Captain Stephen Rock
Capt. Rock offered a reflection on the living legacy of military service. He described bringing young recruits to Iwo Jima in 1999, standing on the ground where an earlier generation had fought and died, and watching them begin to grasp what had come before them. He observed that the tradition of honoring that sacrifice continues in tangible ways: many of today’s WWII battle reenactors learned the practice from their own fathers, who reenacted before them. Uncommon valor, he noted, has a way of becoming a common feature of the people who choose to serve.
Scout Packs 733 and 702 gather at Laurel Hill Cemetery for the start of the ceremony. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
U.S. Air Force Veteran Jill Mayberry
Mayberry read the names of Reading’s veterans who passed away in the past year.
The RMHS Brass Section also performed Taps at each of the ceremony locations.
Ceremonies were also held at the town’s three other cemetery sites. Wellman reported at the Select Board meeting on Tuesday, May 26, that a small contingent of residents attended the ceremonies at all four locations.
Undeterred
Rain or shine, Reading shows up to remember its veterans. The same quiet resolve that the speakers described from the podium was visible in the crowd itself - residents who drove out on a wet Monday morning, stood at gravesides, and made sure the day was observed. That, as much as any speech, is what Memorial Day looks like here.
Thank you to all who made the day possible: from Cemetery staff who prepared the grounds to the volunteers who placed flags at the headstones of veterans across Reading, the Reading Police Department Honor Guard, the Reading Fire Department, Veteran Services Officer Will Valliere, and every speaker and volunteer who contributed to the ceremonies.
Watch the parade and Laurel Hill ceremony on the RCTV Youtube page.
