Tag Archives: Webster Union Cemetery

Veterans remembered again on Wreath Retirement Day

22 Mar

Do you remember National Wreaths Across America Day last Dec. 16? On that day, about 1,000 community volunteers placed 1,350 Veteran Wreaths in three Webster cemeteries: Webster Union Cemetery, Webster Rural Cemetery, and Union Hill Cemetery. It was an incredible outpouring of support from the Webster community, a truly touching ceremony and a moving tribute to our veterans. (Click here to read the blog I wrote about that day.)

For three months the wreaths rested among the grave markers, reminding every visitor of the great number of Webster residents who have fought for our country.

Unfortunately, however, the wreaths couldn’t stay there forever. So last Saturday March 16, a much smaller, but no less dedicated, group of community members collected the wreaths from all three cemeteries and gathered them together in a huge pile at Webster Union Cemetery, where members of the Webster Volunteer Fire Department set them ablaze in a controlled burn. As the wreaths burned, volunteers said a final thank you for honoring and remembering our heroes.

It was a sad day in some respects, as months of nonstop planning and effort went up in flames. But it was comforting to know that, just like on the day they were placed, each time a wreath was removed from a headstone, a veteran was remembered once again.

A total of 55 adults and children participated in the retirement effort. Many thanks to the following groups and businesses who volunteered their time that day: KeyBank in Webster; L3Harris Technologies;  Military Vets Usmvmc NY6 – Finger Lakes; Webster VFW Post 9483; 209th Regiment of Cadets; and Webster Union Cemetery staff members.

Special thanks to MISSION BBQ in Henrietta, Jersey Mike’s Subs in Webster and Mayer’s Cider Mill  in Webster for providing lunch to all the volunteers. (And many thanks to Cherie Wood for the photos.)  

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National Wreaths Across America Day 2024 will be held on December 14, and this year Holy Trinity will be joining the list of Webster cemeteries who will honor and remember our veterans.

This year’s goal for Webster is 2,110 veteran wreaths, one for every hero resting in Webster Union Cemetery, Union Hill Cemetery, Webster Rural Cemetery, and Holy Trinity. Please mark your calendars now and plan to bring your family out to help place the wreaths.

Clearly, lots of wreaths will be needed. In the past, most of them have been sponsored one at a time by community members. Wreath sponsorships for this year’s ceremony are now being taken. Cost is $17, and right now, for every two wreaths sponsored, Webster will receive one free. Click here to find out more.

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(posted 3/22/2024)

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Wreath Day (and welcome-the-truck day) are right around the corner

8 Dec

National Wreaths Across America Day, Saturday Dec. 16, is almost here.

On that day, community members will gather to lay 1,360 wreaths on veterans’ graves at Webster Union, Union Hill and Webster Rural cemeteries. It’s a solemn ceremony designed to remember these servicemen and women and to thank them for their sacrifices.

The day will begin at noon at Webster Union Cemetery (corner of Rt. 250 and Woodhull) with a short ceremony, after which community members will spread out through the cemetery to lay 700 wreaths. Interested volunteers will then travel to Webster Rural and Union Hill cemeteries to lay another 660 wreaths there.

Adults and children of all ages are encouraged to take part in this very moving ceremony. Start a new holiday tradition for your family; it’s a great way to teach your children about how important it is to remember and recognize our nation’s veterans. Mark your calendar now and stay tuned for more details. You can also follow the Wreaths Across America Facebook page to keep up on all the latest news.  

If you’d like to help, please take a moment to sign up here so organizers have some idea of how many people are coming. (But if you forget, no sweat. Just come anyway.)

Last year, the first year in which Webster joined the Wreaths Across America effort, more than 300 adults, children, first responders, veterans and active service members laid 650 wreaths at Webster Union Cemetery. (Click here to read the blog about that incredible day.) It was an incredible outpouring of support from the Webster community. Even more volunteers will be needed to help out with this year’s expanded effort.

And do you remember when the wreath truck came through town?

The Wreaths Across America truck is expected to arrive in Webster in the next few days, an 18-wheeler traveling from Maine (where the wreaths are created) to deliver our 1,360 wreaths. The plan is for it to pick up a police escort at the Roseland Fire Station (corner of Salt and Plank roads) and then continue to the cemeteries to drop off the wreaths. The truck is part of the Wreaths Across America “Honor Fleet,” made up of hundreds of trucking companies who volunteer their drivers, equipment and time to deliver almost three million wreaths every year to every corner of the country.

It would be great if we could cheer the driver along as he comes through town. As I get more specific details, I’ll let you know!

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)

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(posted 12/8/2023)

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Webster Thomas NHS students help preserve Webster’s history

9 May

Gravestones belonging to many of Webster’s earliest settlers got a little TLC last weekend, thanks to several Webster Thomas High School National Honor Society (NHS) students.

Thomas seniors Ella Esders, Adam Zlotkus and Mya Cacciotti, assisted by their friends Gary Weiss and Allison Peterson, spent a few hours last Saturday morning at Webster Union Cemetery getting down and dirty — and wet — removing years of moss, lichen and built-up dirt from 17 headstones.

The effort was part of a project required of all second-year NHS students. The project must be something that benefits the local community, and students are encouraged to design it around something they’re passionate about. They have to develop a plan, get it approved with the group’s faculty advisor, and once it’s been completed, create a video slideshow to be presented at an NHS meeting.

Last year, Ella, Adam and Mya helped with a friend’s second-year project, repairing headstones at Webster Rural Cemetery. That experience inspired them to head back into a cemetery for their own project.

The students were guided by Cherie Wood, Webster Union Cemetery Historian, who demonstrated and explained the many-step process involved in carefully removing moss, lichen and dirt from the delicate headstones. As they scrubbed and sprayed, Wood also gave them a bonus history lesson, telling them stories about Webster’s early history and its founding families, and introduced them to some of our former town leaders and two Revolutionary War Patriots.

The students were especially intrigued to learn more about the many headstone symbols they saw. Wood explained that in the 1700s and 1800s, symbols placed on the stones were a kind of code about that person. One child’s headstone, for example, was decorated with a plant with four leaves, a drooping rose in full bloom, and a rosebud cut off. The rose represented the grieving mother. Each leaf was a child, and the missing rosebud was a child under 10 who had died. The circle surrounding them all represented eternity.  

The students worked nonstop for two and a half hours. Despite the hard, messy work required under a pretty warm sun, every single one of them characterized the job as “fun.” And the importance of what they were doing wasn’t lost on them.

“It’s a nice day in the sun with our friends,” Ella said, “learning about the historical value of this and also preserving the memory of these people.”

Cherie Wood demonstrates the cleaning process
Gary Weiss and Ella Esders
Allison Peterson, Adam Zlotkus and Mya Cacciotti

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram (@missyblog)

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(posted 5/9/2023)

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Veterans remembered again on Wreath Retirement Day

18 Mar

On Saturday Dec. 17 last year, precisely at noon, hundreds of adults, children, local officials, first responders, veterans and active-duty service members were gathered at Webster Union Cemetery. The occasion was National Wreaths Across America Day, and the volunteers were there to help lay more than 650 wreaths, one for every veteran resting in the cemetery. It was an incredible outpouring of support from the Webster community, a truly touching ceremony and a moving tribute to our veterans. (Click here to read the blog I wrote about that day.)

For three months the wreaths rested there among the grave markers, reminding every visitor of the great number of Webster residents who have fought for our country. It was a stunning sight, so many wreaths, adorned with bright red bows, spread around the snowy grounds.

Unfortunately, however, the wreaths couldn’t stay there forever. So on Saturday March 18, a much smaller — but no less dedicated — group of community members gathered again at Webster Union for Wreath Retirement Day. They included Boy Scouts from Pack 420, Girl Scouts from Troop 60344. and the 209th Regiment Cadets. Together, they gathered the wreaths, stacked them along the roadways, then tossed them onto a big pile at the back of the cemetery. There, WVFD Fire Chief Andrew Vorndran set them all ablaze. Afterwards, all of the volunteers sat down for a lunch provided by Mission BBQ in Henrietta, a big supporter of Wreaths Across America.

It was a sad day in some respects, as we literally saw months of nonstop planning and effort go up in flames. But it was comforting to know that, just like on the day they were placed, each time a wreath was removed from a headstone, a veteran was remembered once again.

Check below for a slideshow of photos from the day, featuring many of our friends and neighbors who came out to help.

Planning has already begun for this year’s Wreaths Across America Day. The Webster community was so incredibly supportive of our town’s very first Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 17 that organizers hope to add at least one additional cemetery this year, and eventually recognize every one of the more than 3,000 veterans buried in Webster’s seven cemeteries. Which is why, months before that happens, the call is already going out for community members and businesses to sponsor wreaths.

So stay tuned for more updates from Wreaths Across America in Webster, and let’s help make sure this incredible program continues to grow. Click here to see and follow the Facebook page, click here to sponsor a wreath (or several), and click here to see the blog I wrote following Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 17 to see what a moving and inspirational event this is.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram.

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 3/18/2022)

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Planning begins for Wreaths Across America Day 2023

10 Jan

You would think that following the very successful Wreaths Across America Day at Webster Union Cemetery in December, the effort’s organizers would take a well-deserved break and recharge their batteries before jumping right into planning for Wreath Day 2023.

They did. For about … maybe two weeks.

If you follow the Wreaths Across America – Webster Union Cemetery Facebook page like I do, you’ve probably noticed an uptick in activity as plans are already ramping up for this year. The Webster community was so incredibly supportive of our town’s very first Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 17 that organizers hope to add at least one additional cemetery this year. Which is why, 11 months before that happens, the call is already going out for community members and businesses to sponsor wreaths.

There’s actually a great incentive right now, too. Through Jan. 17, for every wreath sponsored through the Gold Star Mothers, Webster will get two wreaths for our fallen heroes. (Click here to sponsor.) This is an excellent opportunity for our community to get a huge head start on this year’s event. Sponsoring a wreath costs just $17.

The national Wreaths Across America organization has also recently announced the theme for 2023. This year, the focus will be on the storylines of veterans and military families who’ve found success through their own service, while also highlighting local volunteers across the country and the success that comes from serving their communities.

So stay tuned for more updates from Wreaths Across America in Webster, and let’s help make sure this incredible program continues to grow. Click here to see and follow the Facebook page, click here to sponsor a wreath (or several), and click here to see the blog I wrote following Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 17 to see what a moving and inspirational event this is.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram.

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 1/10/2023)

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Webster Union Cemetery named business of the month

28 Dec

I would be remiss to let any more days pass before congratulating Webster Union Cemetery on being named December’s Business of the Month by the Webster Chamber of Commerce.

You’ve been hearing a lot about Webster Union Cemetery recently in my blog. Just a few weeks ago, it played host to Webster’s very first Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 17, when hundreds of folks gathered to lay wreaths at the gravestone of every veteran who rests there.

It’s a beautiful cemetery, made even more so by the additional 650 wreaths which were placed that day. Hosting that ceremony might have been one of the reasons it was chosen as Business of the Month. But there were others as well.

The cemetery has a long and rich history, for starters.

Farmland was donated for the first known burial in 1817, when a Webster child needed a place to rest. It was originally called The Burial Ground, Lakeside, Union Cemetery of Webster. Since this caused some confusion between other areas near Webster, especially Union Hill Cemetery, the name was officially changed to Webster Union Cemetery in April 1954.

In 1859, Webster’s first settler, Abram Foster, was buried there at the age of 90. He was the first of many prominent families to come, including the Burnetts, Curtices, Fosters, Pelletts, Woodhulls, Whitings, and Wrights. Veterans from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War are buried there as well. Consequently, Webster Union Cemetery is one of the richest historical sites in Webster.

The cemetery is also stunningly beautiful. In 2008 it was awarded the Historic Landscape Award from the Landmark Society of Western New York, and was listed on the National List of Historic Places in 2022. In July 2022, Webster Union Cemetery hosted a ceremony where two Revolutionary War soldiers were honored with bronze plaques placed on boulders at their gravesite. First responders and our military members were also honored, and two World War II veterans received plaques.

Webster Union Cemetery has been an active burial ground for 198 years. In addition to being an active member in the Webster Chamber of Commerce, they support Wreaths Across America, work with Blue and Gold Star Families, support Boy and Girl Scout ventures, work with the Veteran Headstone Preservation Project, and many other community projects. 

Congratulations to Webster Union Cemetery President George Baker and his staff members for this well-deserved honor, and thank you for being such a valued part of our community.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram.

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 12/28/2022)

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The Webster community came together for Wreaths Across America Day

17 Dec

Earlier this year, when it was first suggested that Webster participate in Wreaths Across America, organizers knew it would be asking a lot from the community.

After all, Webster Union Cemetery, chosen for the first-ever ceremony, is one of the larger cemeteries in town. It’s the resting place for about 650 veterans, so decorating each of their graves would require that many wreaths, costing $15 each. Still, organizers knew that Webster is a generous town, and they had high hopes the community would support the effort.

No one, however, expected the overwhelming outpouring of community support they received.

Not only did businesses and local residents sponsor more than 650 wreaths, on Wreath Day — Saturday Dec. 17 — more than 300 adults and children gathered at the official Wreaths Across America ceremony at Webster Union Cemetery to help lay the wreaths. Many first responders, veterans and active service members also participated.

The ceremony was the culmination of months of organizing, fundraising and publicity efforts led by Cherie Wood, Wreaths Across America Location Coordinator for Webster Union Cemetery, and a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Canandaigua Chapter. She was delighted and touched by the incredible community response.

“Our first responders, VFW, American Legion, Blue and Gold Star families, and active duty service members have been amazing,” she said. “There’s no end to who made this a reality.”

“I’m awed how the community of Webster came together and embraced this project. Most of our wreaths were sponsored one at a time. People who simply wanted to honor our fallen heroes. It’s rare that a cemetery is 100% sponsored their first year. Our community hit this one out of the park.”

Wood especially credited L3Harris, Jersey Mike’s Subs and Mission BBQ for their incredible business support.

The ceremony began promptly at noon. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem and a moment of prayer, Wood explained how Wreath Day is not just a local occurrence, saying,

Today, December 17, is National Wreaths Across America Day. In over 3,700 cemeteries across the country, and in foreign American battlefields, about 2.7 million people are meeting at noon, just as we are. This year over 3 million wreaths will be placed on veteran graves. 

Because of the generosity of the Webster community … we have a wreath  for every veteran in Webster Union Cemetery. Webster pulled together and embraced this project  in a way that has received national attention. This should give us amazing pride in our community.     

Wood encouraged each participant to say the veteran’s name out loud before placing the wreath, and take a moment to thank him or her for their service.

“It’s a small act that goes a long way toward keeping the memory of our veterans alive,” she explained. “Wreaths Across America has a saying: A person dies twice. Once when they take their last breath, then again when their name is said for the very last time. Many of our veterans no longer have family to remember them. Today, we the Webster community will become their family.”

Following Wood’s remarks, representatives from each of our nation’s armed services placed ceremonial wreaths in memory of those who served, and those who are still listed as Prisoners of War or MIA. Lt. Nguyen of the U.S. Navy, Purple Heart Recipient Chief Max Elia and Gold Star Mother Dorothy Reid also spoke.

Family members of veterans who are resting at Webster Union Cemetery were invited to enter the grounds first to place wreaths on their loved one’s graves, followed a few minutes later by the rest of the volunteers.

Webster Union Cemetery is one of 600 first-time cemeteries to participate in the Wreaths Across America ceremony this year. Based in large part on the tremendous support Wood saw from the Webster community this year, she’s already hoping to expand the effort next year.

“It’ll grow in this area,” she said. “Next year, we hope to add more cemeteries, and keep adding in coming years, until all five cemeteries are covered. That’s about 3,000 fallen veterans.”

Click here to see a whole gallery of photos.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram.

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 12/17/2022)

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Wreath Day is almost here

14 Dec

We’re just a few days away from Wreaths Across America Day on Saturday Dec. 17, when the Webster community will come together to place a wreath on the grave of every veteran resting in Webster Union Cemetery.

We’re talking 650 wreaths, so we really need a lot of help from the community. This is a great opportunity for entire families to come out to honor our veterans, and perhaps begin a brand new holiday tradition. The ceremony will begin at noon at the cemetery, 345 Webster Rd., at the corner of Rt. 250 and Woodhull. Click here to sign up, and plan to arrive a little early so you don’t miss any of this solemn observance.

In the meantime, stay tuned for news about when the Wreaths Across America truck will be driving through town to deliver our wreaths to Webster Union Cemetery. The latest update indicated the truck might be arriving as soon as Thursday afternoon, or perhaps Friday morning. We’d like to get as many Webster residents out on the streets as possible as the truck passes, to cheer it on. The Webster PD will be providing an escort, and the fire departments are hoping to hang a huge flag between two ladder trucks, depending on how much lead time they have to set it up.

I’ll post more details as soon as I get them on my Webster on the Web Facebook page.

Here’s a fun side note: the truck drivers, who transport about 3 million wreaths from Maine to more than 3,700 cemeteries all across the country, all volunteer their time, their trucks, and the cost of gas. So when they arrive at each town, it’s customary to present them with a gift bag as our thanks.

Webster Union Cemetery and the Blue Star Mothers have put a thank-you bag together for our driver, filled with snacks, Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards, nuts and everything in between. Location Coordinator Cherie Wood said that it’s kind of got “the entire junk food aisle of Wegmans” in it and weighs about 20 pounds.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram.

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 12/14/2022)

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Let’s cheer on the Wreaths Across America truck!

30 Nov

Wreath Day is almost here!

As you’ve read here several times, Wreaths Across America is coming to Webster, joining the effort to place wreaths on the graves of every veteran in the country. On Dec. 17, Wreath Day, volunteers will gather at Webster Union Cemetery to help lay wreaths on the resting places of 650 veterans. (Keep reading to find out how you and your family can volunteer.)

But before we can place the wreaths, they have to be delivered, and THAT will be an exciting and awe-inspiring event.

Sometime in the next week or two, an 18-wheeler traveling from Maine (where the wreaths are created) will be arriving in Webster to deliver our 650 wreaths, driving through town and up to Webster Union Cemetery at the corner of Rt. 250 and Woodhull. The truck is part of the Wreaths Across America “Honor Fleet,” made up of hundreds of trucking companies who volunteer their drivers, equipment and time to deliver almost three million wreaths every year to every corner of the country.

We don’t know (yet) exactly when the 18-wheeler will be arriving, but when it does, we want to give it a HUGE Webster welcome. Of course we hope as many people as possible can get out on the roadways to cheer on the truck as it passes by. But also, with enough advance notice, the Webster PD will give the truck an all-sirens-blaring escort through town, and our Webster volunteer fire departments will hang a huge flag from their ladder trucks for the semi to drive under.

We don’t know how much lead time we’ll have to let everyone know when the truck will be arriving and what its route will be. But as soon as I find out, I’ll post something on this blog AND on my Webster on the Web Facebook page. Updates will also be posted on the Wreaths Across America Facebook page.

So keep an eye out for updates, and let’s get excited about welcoming the Wreaths Across America truck to Webster.

Wreath Day is Saturday Dec. 17, and the community is invited to help lay the 650 wreaths on veterans’ graves at Webster Union Cemetery. This would be a great way to honor our heroes and start a new family tradition. Click here to sign up.

To read more about Wreaths Across America at Webster Union Cemetery, visit the website here or Facebook page here.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram.

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 11/28/2022)

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Thank you, Scouts!

11 Nov

When Wreaths Across America Day comes to Webster Union Cemetery on Dec. 17, some little hands will be helping place the more than 650 wreaths on the graves of veterans who are buried there.

The young ladies of Brownie Troop 60344 , all second-graders, will be one of several Scout troops leading community members in the Pledge of Allegiance that day, before fanning out into the graveyard to lay wreaths.

Troop co-leader Daniela Viavattine wrote that this year she and her co-leader Linda Meyers are “putting a big emphasis on the service aspect of Girl Scouting.”

The girls will be learning who veterans are and why we have a day to honor their service and sacrifice. The wreath fundraiser and wreath laying event is a great way to connect their new knowledge to how they can honor veterans right here in our community.  We are looking forward to participating this year!

Wreaths Across America is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to place a wreath on the grave of every veteran in the country. This year, the movement has reached Webster, where efforts are under way to place a wreath for each of the more than 650 veterans resting at Webster Union Cemetery.

Local organizers have not yet reached their goal, so they can use your help. Sponsoring a wreath only costs $15, and $5 from every wreath sponsorship will go directly to the Blue Star Mothers, who will use the funds to prepare and ship care packages to deployed servicemen and women who don’t have access to everyday supplies. Click here to go online to sponsor a wreath, or email WebsterWreaths@icloud.com to request a form. Sponsorship deadline is Monday, November 21.

In the back-and-forth emails the troop leaders and I had about their Wreaths Across America involvement, Linda Meyers told me about another great community service these young ladies recently provided, and another way in which the Brownies are learning about veterans.

Earlier this week the girls worked with Mary Ann O’Mara, Pat Miller and Cheryl Quinn to make greeting cards for veterans. Mary Ann, Pat and Cheryl provided all of the materials, and even sent each girl home with some Christmas cookies from Sweet Jude’s bakery.

The cards will be delivered to the Veterans Outreach Center Christmas card program, which collects Christmas cards from children to give to veterans.

This was the second time Brownie Troop 60344 worked with Mary Ann and Pat to make cards. The first was back in February when the girls made Valentine’s Day cards for the residents of The Maplewood nursing home.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram.

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(posted 11/11/2022)

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