Introduction
The Wethersfield Memorial Day Parade will take place Saturday, May 27, 2023 stepping off at 9:00 a.m., followed by a Memorial Day Ceremony at Village Cemetery immediately following the parade.
- The Memorial Day committee is once again requesting financial contributions for the Memorial Day and Veterans Day activities this year. We need your support! Any contribution will be deeply appreciated. Information can be obtained from and contributions made to:
- Town of Wethersfield - Memorial Day Celebration
- c/o Parks and Recreation Department
- 505 Silas Deane Highway
- Wethersfield, CT 06109
The Memorial Day Committee would like to encourage all residents to demonstrate their support for the veterans and our country by displaying the American Flag during the weekend.
Contact Information
For more information about the event e-mail the committee at memorial.day@wethersfieldct.gov.
Deceased Veterans Honor Roll
TBA
Sponsorship / Support
The Memorial Day and Veterans Day Committees would like to thank the Wethersfield business community, organizations and volunteers who have given their support and who are helping to make this year's events memorable. If you would like to consider helping us in any manner, please contact the committee at memorial.day@wethersfieldct.gov.
Memorial Day Ceremonies
The Memorial Day Ceremony will take place in Village Cemetery immediately following the parade, approximately 10:30 a.m.
Memorial Day Address Speaker
Anthony Camilliere
Tony Camilliere is the son of Dan and Rose Camilliere.
Tony has lived in Wethersfield for 53 years. He is a principal in the government relations form of Camilliere, Cloud & Kennedy and has worked in the government sector for nearly 30 years. Tony and his wife Anne have two adult children Daniel and John.
Tony’s dad Dan Camilliere enlisted in the United States Army and proudly served his country for three years. He spent time training at Fort Devens, Massachusetts and Fort Grant in Illinois before he was deployed to England. From England, he was sent to Le Havre, France and then to Paris as a pharmacist in the 217th General Hospital. Dan served as a pharmacist working alongside doctors on a medical train that carried passengers from Germany to France, Dan and the other medical staff made that trip back and forth from France to Germany, and from Germany to France, several times during these years. After his service during WWII he was honorably discharged in 1946. Dan always had a love for serving others and serving his country was a special sacrifice.
Barbara Ruhe
Barbara Ruhe is the daughter of George and Helga Ruhe.
Barbara has been practicing law for over 40 years primarily in the Family and Juvenile Courts in Wethersfield at her private practice of Ruhe, Barbara J Law Offices of Attorney. Barbara and her husband have two adults children Christopher and Andrea.
Barbara’s dad George A. Ruhe served from January 1944 to May 1946. He was a member of the 65th Infantry Division which was part of General George Patton's Third Army. Initially he served in combat, but eventually become part of Military Intelligence. He was awarded a Bronze Star, which is given to a soldier who “distinguished himself or herself by heroic or meritorious achievement or service” along with a Good Conduct Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two bronze service stars, World War II Victory Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge and the Honorable Service Lapel Button.
George was active and outspoken on many local political issues and served on a variety of boards and commissions. He was famously known for attending Town Council and Board of Education meetings and speaking his mind.
Parade Marshals
Reno Franconi
Reno Franconi was born December 12, 1921 and graduated from Torrington High School in 1939. On December 31, 1942, he entered the Army Air Corp.
Reno served in New Guinea and Luzon Philippines with the 875th Airborne Engineers as an Anti-tank gunner, an equipment operator and a company clerk. During his service Reno was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Theater Campaign Ribbon, the Victory Medal and the Philippine Liberation Medal Ribbon with the Bronze Service Star. On January 1, 1946 Reno was discharged.
In the fall of 1946 Reno was accepted and attended UCONN, Storrs where he pursued his education using the G.I. Bill.
Reno continued his military education by joining the ROTC Program at UCONN where he received a monthly stipend of $30. He was recognized as the Distinguished Military Student and was offered a commission in the Air Force. Due to family plans though, Reno declined this opportunity.
Reno graduated in the Spring of 1950 with a BS in Business Administration and received his commission as 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve. He was a Supply Officer and retired in 1960 with the Rank of Captain.
After graduation Reno worked in Manufacturing Sales at various companies for 40 years.
Reno met his wife Alice while attending UCONN. They were married on August 25, 1951 and moved to Wethersfield in 1957. Together they raised their family of four daughters Jean, Susan, Mary Lou, and Ellen. Reno has six grand-children and one great-grand child.
Anthony Gilistro
Anthony P. Gilistro was born December of 1925 and graduated from Buckley High School in 1943.
He was drafted into the U.S. Navy on March 15, 1944, and told his father he would be home in six months.
On the way to basic training, Anthony was transferred from the U.S. Navy to the U.S. Marine Corp. He went to Paris Island for Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Camp Lejeune for Advanced Individual Training (AIT).
Anthony was assigned to the 4th Marine Air Wing, in Guam. There he was a Military Police Officer responsible for post security. He attained the rank of Corporal before being discharged on November 1,1946.
After the war Anthony worked with his father painting residential and commercial buildings. He also continued his education at Morse School of Business.
Anthony moved to Wethersfield in 1948 with his wife Rosemarie and daughter Judy.
In 1962 Anthony and his friend Donald Noren started a construction company and named it Noren and Glistro. They were in business until his retirement in 1994. During that time, they built over 100 homes throughout Connecticut.
After retirement Anthony used his skills in construction to help neighbors and friends with projects around their homes.
Anthony is proud of his service to our country as a U.S. Marine during WW II. He is a member of the American Legion, Bourne Keeney Post 23 in Wethersfield.
Nicholas Giosa
Nicholas Giosa was born February 8, 1925 in New York City and graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1941.
Nicholas tried enlisting in the Army at the beginning of World War II but was rejected because of his flat fee. After the Battle of the Bulge, he entered the Navy as an Electronics Technician mate and was assigned to the USS Renate where he served from 1945-1946.
Prior to serving in the Navy Nicholas had started engineering classes at Columbia University. After serving in the Navy Nicholas decided to change his degree to medicine and graduated from Columbia University in 1947.
Nicholas moved to Wethersfield in 1956. He started his career as a general practitioner back in the days when doctors made house calls. His offices were in the south end of Hartford first on Maple Avenue and then on New Britain Avenue across from Trinity College. After 12 years of being a general practitioner he became an anesthesiologist which is how he spent the next 34 years of his career until retiring at the age of 75.
Nicholas is also an accomplished artist, photographer and poet entering many of his works in local competitions and winning awards for them. He has self published two books of poetry “Words, Wounds and Wonder” and “This Sliding Light of Day.” In 1993 he entered a photograph of his elderly parents in a national photography contest sponsored by Parade Magazine and out of 3000 entries he won!
Welles Hale
Born January 11, 1926, Welles Hale lived at 35 Broad Street, Wethersfield and graduated from Wethersfield High School in June, 1944.
Following his father, who served in the Navy during World War I, Hale enlisted in the United States Navy in June, 1944, and attended basic training at the Naval Training Station, Samson, New York on the east shore of Seneca Lake.
Following training, Hale was assigned to one of the few Auxiliary Cargo Attack (AKA-28) ships commissioned to transport troops and equipment to support amphibious operations in the Pacific Theater. Hale served for two years aboard AKA-28 and sailed throughout the Pacific, including Guadalcanal, the Philippines, and Tsing Tao, Shang-hai in China. Hale and AKA-28 also took part in the invasion of Okinawa in April, 1945. AKA-28 transported 700 troops and equipment of a Marine communications unit, as well as 15 LCMs and 4 LCVPs in support of the invasion.
AKA-28 and Storekeeper 3rd Class Hale both left the service in 1946. AKA-28 was decommissioned and sold to the New York Maritime Academy, and Hale was discharged from the Brooklyn Receiving Station in late June, 1946, two years after his initial enlistment.
Following the war, at a time when jobs were scarce due to the flood of young men returning to the workforce, Hale worked at several jobs including the National Fire Insurance Company, and the American Radio Relay League, but did not find a career field to his liking so began his own business called Taylor Films, which he operated at 163 Main Street, Wethersfield for many years.
In 1962, Hale married Lorraine Shukerow, and have raised two sons together during their 62 years of marriage.
John Maycock
John William Maycock was born May 21, 1925, in Middletown, CT. He moved to Wethersfield in 1930 and attended Charles Wright Elementary School. His father, an architect, designed and built the family home on 140 Garden Street.
John attended Wethersfield High School and at age 17 decided to enlist in lieu of being drafted. Since he was underage both parents had to sign a waiver allowing him to enlist. His father was in Hartford Hospital at the time, recuperating from surgery, but was pleased that his son was choosing to enlist in the Navy as both himself and his father served in the Navy together on the USS Mayflower, which was the President's cruiser.
John was sent to Sampson NY to boot camp where he was a Seaman 2nd Class. From Boot Camp he was assigned to the USS Missouri stationed in Argentina. Upon arrival in Argentina the ship was gone so he was re-assigned to the USS Tuscaloosa, a heavy cruiser, as a Seaman 1st Class.
As they were anchored in Belfast Ireland, General Eisenhower came aboard to inspect the troops and spoke directly to him as he had a smirk on his face! It was that night they received orders to invade Normandy. At the age of 18 John Maycock was part of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. He says he can still see, as he came topside, a sea of ships as far as the eye could see.
After the invasion they detached from the English Navy and sailed to Ireland. John then trained for Amphibious Warfare in Ft Pierce FL. He also trained for LCVP (Landing, Craft, Vehicle, Personnel) and was assigned to the LST1091 where he went to the Pacific for the invasion of Japan.
In 1945 he was discharged and went home to Wethersfield where he received his high school diploma. He was then called up for the Korean war.
After the war he came home, married, and raised his four children Nancy, Carol, Lynne, and John. He worked at Pratt & Whitney as a machinist and then at Fafnir from which he retired. John was also active in the Masons, was an American Legion member for 77 years, a member of the Colonel John Chester Fife and Drum Corp, and continues to have a strong passion for gardening along with immense pride in his country.
Essay Contest
Silas Deane Middle School students and Corpus Christi students participated in this year's Memorial Day essay contest themed "Honoring Our Greatest Generation."
This year's winners are Julia Young from Corpus Christi with her essay "A Day of Remembrance" and Sylvia Lin from Silas Deane Middle School with her essay "Commemorating Our Soldiers."
Flags of Appreciation
In recognition of all veterans, the GFWC/CT of Newington/Wethersfield Womens Club, a member of the General Federation of Womens Clubs, will be displaying a "Flags of Appreciation" to honor our veterans. A series of flags will be displayed in front of the Hurlburt-Dunham house at 212 Main Street during the weekend as a thank you to all our Veterans and members of our Armed Forces.
Information for Marchers for 2023
All marchers are reminded to begin arriving at the line of march beginning at 8:15 a.m. Marchers will be lined up on the grassy area between the DMV and the Solomon Welles House. Vehicles and floats will be lined up in the DMV parking lot and on State Street. Beginning at 8:30 a.m. only parade traffic will be allowed from Hartford Avenue to State Street. Shortly before the parade is to begin traffic will be closed off on State Street from both directions and access to the line of march by vehicle will be prohibited. Group names will be posted and staff will be there to assist you to find your place in the line of march.
Parking at the Department of Motor Vehicles will be for those marching only. Those who are simply dropping off individuals who are marching are asked to drop individuals off and then proceed to exit. Buses and trailers will be directed to the rear parking lot of the DMV.
The line of march will be posted below. It is subject to change.
At the conclusion of the parade, all participants are invited to the ceremony at the Village Cemetery on Marsh Street.
Line of March 2023 (REVISED 5/23/23)
First Division:
1. Lead Motorcycles
2. WVFD and WPD combined Color Guard (start at Nott Street monument)
3. National Guard????
4. Parade Marshal-Reno Franconi
5. Parade Marshal – Nicholas Giosa
6. Parade Marshal-Anthony Gilistro
7. Parade Marshal-Welles Hale
8. Parade Marshal-John Maycock
9. Dignitaries- Includes: (start at Nott Street)
10. Federal/State/Local/Essay Winner
11. Colonel John Chester Fife & Drum
12. Fire Department (lines up @ monument)
13. Police Department (lines up @ monument)
14. Fire Dept (3 trucks, 1 command vehicle, lines up @ monument)
15. James Stango – Watertown Special Olympian as flag bearer for American Legion
16. American Legion (1-2 cars?)
17. American Legion Auxiliary
and Poppy Queen (1-2 cars)
18. DAV-Van, (any additional vehicles line up @ monument)
Second Division
19. WHS HS Band
20. Knights of Columbus
21. Republican Town Committee
22. Captain Morgan – Morgan’s Boat Training & Charters
23. UNICO (2-3 cars?)
24. Wethersfield Dads Club
25. Wethersfield Chamber of Commerce
26. Wethersfield Youth Lacrosse
27. Wethersfield Teen Theater
Third Division:
27. 28. Windsor Fife and Drum
29. Wethersfield Moms Group
30. Friends of Kycia Farm (tractor & wagon)
31. Red Onion
32. GDR/Wethersfield Soccer
33. Eagles Youth Football Cheer
34. Wethersfield Human Rights and Relations
35. Wethersfield Pride
Fourth Division:
36. Chester Fife and Drum
37. Wethersfield Girl Scouts
38. Young Italian Americans
39. WECC
40. Wethersfield PEP
41. Wethersfield Little League
42. Cub Scout Packs 246 & 85
43. Webb Deane Stevens Museum 5th CT Regiment
44. Banner – Invite to Ceremony at Cemetery
45. Wethersfield Emergency Medical Services Association
46. Fire Trucks - Remaining
Parade Route 2023
The parade will step off at 9:00 a.m. and will head west on State Street to Nott Street then to Garden Street. It will then proceed down Garden Street, left onto Church Street and then right onto Main Street. The parade will continue on Main Street, then take a left back onto Garden Street to Broad Street. The Reviewing Stand will be on the Broad Street Green. We will then proceed north on Broad Street and cross Marsh Street to the Village Cemetery (behind First Church) for the cemetery services.
Parking 2023
Parking for spectators will be available throughout the parade route. Spectators may also park on any residential street not marked by "no parking" signs. Parking for marchers will be available at the Department of Motor Vehicle on State Street rear lot. The rear parking lot of the DMV will also be available for buses to park during the parade.
Street Closings 2023
Below is a list of street closings and approximate times they will be closed. (All times listed below are approximate.)
- State Street (entire length) — 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.
- Nott Street (from Garden Street to State Street) — 8:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
- Garden Street (from Nott Street to Church Street) — 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
- Church Street (from Garden Street to Main Street) — 9:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
- Main Street (from Church Street to Garden Street) — 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
- Garden Street (from Main Street to Broad Street) — 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
- Broad Street (west side, from Garden Street north to Marsh Street) — 9:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
- Marsh Street (from Main Street to Broad Street) — 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
In addition, the following streets will be posted with temporary "No Parking" signs:
- State Street: From Hartford Avenue to the west driveway of DMV — both sides
- Nott Street: Around monument island at Hartford Avenue and Nott Street; from Hartford Avenue to Garden Street — both sides
- Garden Street: From Nott Street to Church Street — both sides
- Church Street: From Garden Street to Main Street — both sides
- Garden Street: From Main Street to Broad Street — both sides
- Broad Street: From Garden Street to Marsh Street — both sides
- Nott Street/State Street intersection
- Nott Street: Between State Street and Garden — both sides
- Main Street: From Church Street to Garden Street — both sides (Saturday morning only)
Rain Plans
In the event of inclement weather, the ceremonies will be moved indoors to Wethersfield High School and will begin at 10:00 a.m. The latest information will be announced on the Parks and Recreation Department program information line at (860) 721-2890. An announcement will also be posted in the announcements area of the home page of the town web site.