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Local funeral home to host events Saturday, Monday in observance of Memorial Day

A flag-placing event will be held Saturday, and a come-and-take event will be held Monday with free food and drinks.
Credit: Johnson's Funeral Home

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Several events will be held throughout the weekend in observance of the Memorial Day holiday, including events being held by Johnson’s Funeral Home.

According to Eulogio Diaz, Johnson’s Funeral Home community relations representative, a flag placing event will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 29, at Johnson’s Lawnhaven Memorial Gardens, 4989 FM Hwy 1223.

Volunteers will place flags, which measure approximately 2 feet tall,  on veterans’ graves. Light refreshments and donuts will be provided for those who volunteer.  Each person will receive a bundle of flags and be assigned a section to place the flags.

Flags will be placed near the headstone of graves marked a design that denotes a veteran is buried at that grave. The designs are a VA marker, VA medallion or stars near the top of the headstone.

In observance of Memorial Day, a come-and-take event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., where free hot dogs and drinks will be provided.

“In previous years, we‘ve had hamburgers, sausage and hot dogs,” Diaz said. “We had tables set up, but because of the pandemic our company doesn’t allow us gatherings.”

There will be patriotic music playing, and Diaz will probably play taps at noon, which was usually done when the funeral home had a full program.

“Next year, we’ll probably have the full service, which involves usually the commander from the base and sometimes the mayor comes by,” Diaz said. “We have the ASU choir, we have usually a guest speaker and a minister or priest to come to do the prayers.”

Veterans buried at the Lawnhaven Memorial Gardens are casualties of different wars throughout history.

“Some of the oldest ones are from the Spanish-American War, the French and Indian war; then they go on to World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Iraq, Desert Storm and Vietnam,” Diaz said.  “The monuments in the middle with the flags commemorate all these people and bring them all together.”

Volunteers will begin picking up the flags at 8 a.m. Tuesday, June 1. Any flags that are not damaged will be used in future events.

Flags that are damaged can be placed in a bin outside of San Angelo Elks Lodge #1880, 2121 S. Chadbourne St. The lodge will dispose of the flags properly.

Anyone who wishes to volunteer for any of the events can contact Johnson’s Funeral Home at 325-655-3113 or Lawnhaven Memorial Gardens at 325-944-5000.

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