ROME — Solemn ceremonies at several local cemeteries are planned for noon on Saturday, Dec. 17, as part of the annual Wreaths Across America effort. Deceased local military veterans will be remembered with more than 1,500 wreaths placed at their graves at St. John’s, St. Mary’s, St. Peter’s and Wright Settlement Cemeteries in Rome; Evergreen Cemetery in Lee Center; and the Westernville Presbyterian Cemetery.
Also, at noon on Saturday, wreaths will be placed on veterans’ graves at Arlington National Cemetery and at 3,620 cemeteries nationwide and 26 American cemeteries overseas.
The public is invited to the events at any of the local cemeteries. Family members and friends of the deceased – especially youngsters – are encouraged to attend and participate in placing wreaths.
Ceremonies at each cemetery focus on celebrating the Wreaths Across America mission of “Remember-Honor-Teach” by remembering the fallen, honoring those serving in the military and their families and teaching the next generation the value of freedom.
Organized by the Greater Rome-Utica Chapter, Military Officers’ Association of America (GRUC-MOAA) in conjunction with the cemetery staffs, Wreaths Across America is being presented for the 11th consecutive year in Rome.
Most of the wreaths for this year’s events have been sponsored by local businesses, organizations and individuals for placement on vets’ graves, including the graves of veterans with no survivors.
Major 2022 sponsors are:
- Gold level — Deployed Resources; First Source Federal Credit Union; NYSTEC; the Hazen B. Hinman Sr. Foundation; KeyBank and Varflex;
- Silver level — ANDRO Computational Solutions; Baum’s Castorine; Cathedral Corp.; Kris-Tech Wire; Western Legion Post #1846 Auxiliary; M&T Bank; Stewart’s Shops; First Student; and UHaul Moving & Storage;
- Bronze level — Acme Pool & Spa; Alliance Paving Materials; AmeriCU; Community Bank; Express Employment Professionals; GPO Federal Credit Union; Jones Family Enterprises; Lee American Legion Post #1794; MGS Manufacturing; New York Sash; Oneida County American Legion Auxiliary; PAR Government Systems; Price Chopper/Golub Corp.; Revere Copper Products; Rome Rotary Club; Rome Teachers Federal Credit Union; Sears Family Foundation; Stanwix Veterans and Men’s Club; Strong, Burns & Sprock Funeral Home; The Eclectic Chic; Turin Road Treasures; Upper Cut Salon; USAA; Victory Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram; VFW Post #2246; Waters Land Surveying; and Woods Valley.
A portion of the proceeds from wreath sponsorships will go to GRUC-MOAA for its contributions to programs such as the Junior ROTC units at Rome Free Academy, Proctor and Notre Dame and the National Defense Cadet Corps at Central Valley Academy in Ilion as well as other area organizations that seek to promote leadership skills, civic involvement and patriotism among the youth of the area.
For more information contact Joe Maurer, GRUC-MOAA Wreaths Across America Coordinator, at 315-725-9673 or jmaurer1215@gmail.com.
Among the many outstanding veterans to be memorialized are:
- Lt. Ebenezer Wright who was born on January 14, 1742, at Stamford, Conn. As a young man he was employed as a saddle maker and at 19 joined the Connecticut State Militia to fight in the Revolutionary War. Wright fought at Concord and the Siege of Boston and rose quickly in the ranks to become a lieutenant and take command of his company at the Battle of Long Island when his captain was killed. In 1789 he moved to Rome where he owned and operated a tavern near the location of present-day Ridge Mills School. An active and influential member of the community, he founded Wright Settlement and its cemetery where he was buried after his death on September 2, 1808. He and his wife, Grace, were co-founders of Rome’s First Presbyterian Church.
- Maj. Emlyn Griffith – in June of 1942, when most Rome 18-year-olds were graduating from high school, Griffith was an 18-year-old graduate of Colgate University. He had completed his high school courses at Rome Free Academy four years earlier. Right after college, he enlisted in the Army where his talent as a quick study was immediately noticed and he was sent off to Officer Candidate School in Gainsville, Fla. He received a commission as a Second Lieutenant and served in the Army Air Corps for four years during World War II. Discharged as a major in 1945, he returned to Rome, became an attorney and served for several years as a member of the NY State Board of Regents. Griffith is buried at Westernville Cemetery.
- Corporal Frank Donai – a native of Parsons, Penn., Donai moved as a youngster with his parents to Ava where he grew up on the family’s farm. After school at West Leyden High, he was drafted into the Army Air Corps in March of 1941 and deployed to the Phillipines. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Donai’s company was relocated to the Bataan Peninsula. The challenge of Frank’s life would start on April 9, 1942, when his company was ordered to surrender its defense of the Peninsula and the infamous Bataan Death March of 70,000 U.S. and Phillipine troops began. Surviving the 120-mile march without food or water was just the start of a long ordeal; he was held for 3 ½ years in slave labor as a POW and, by the time of his liberation in September, 1945, he weighed just 86 pounds. Upon his discharge this highly decorated veteran returned to his hometown, married Doris Pritchard and enjoyed a long career as a tool and die maker at Rome Cable. Donai passed away on May 27, 2012 and is buried at Evergreen Cemetery.
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