Conestoga Valley Area Graves Decorated For Memorial Day
Placing American flags on graves at the Bareville Cemetery on Brethren Church Road in Leola has become an annual Memorial Day tradition for the family of Bob Zook, Upper Leacock Township War Memorial Association (ULTWMA) president, and his wife, Barbara, who is also a ULTWMA board member. On the afternoon of May 19, Bob and Barb; their son, Jon; daughter-in-law, Michele; and grandchildren Gavin and Joelle worked approximately an hour to place flags on about 40 graves in the cemetery, one of several area cemeteries Bob said the ULTWMA trustees decorated for Memorial Day.
Along with the Zooks, members of the ULTWMA board are vice president Tim Chopp, secretary Nancy George, Donna Bills, Connie and Dean Gross, Harold Hoover, Carl and Lin Pickel, Bob Ranck, Gene and Janet Rodgers, and Jean Summers. Lin oversees the flag placement program.
Bob Zook said that in early May, Lin ordered 450 flags through Veterans Affairs to decorate the graves in area cemeteries. He noted that the flags were picked up at the Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center in Manheim in production-line style to observe COVID-19 safety measures.
Other members of the ULTWMA board oversee the placement of flags at cemeteries at Stumptown Mennonite Church, Zion Lutheran Church, Salem Hellers Evangelical Reformed Church, Eby's Cemetery at Monterey Chapel, and Trumbauer Memorial Cemetery.
According to Barb, the grandchildren, now Garden Spot High School students, have been helping to plant the flags since they were very young. "They were preschoolers (when they started)," said Michele, as Barb added that the family has photos of the children helping when they were small.
"This is our little boy," said Bob Zook, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Gavin, who will soon be 16. It is important to Bob, who served in the U.S. Marines, to pass the tradition of honoring U.S. veterans at Memorial Day to his children and grandchildren. He has said that the placement of flags honors all deceased veterans who served in any U.S. military branch.
ULTWMA is a nonprofit, volunteer organization located at 54 W. Main St., Leola. ULTWMA organizes and hosts community events that honor the military service of all local residents. Readers who would like to learn more about the organization may search for "Upper Leacock Township War Memorial Association" on Facebook.
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