Volunteers lay wreaths in local cemeteries

Dec. 14 was National Wreaths Across America Day. In Bay Ridge and later in Green-Wood Cemetery, Jack Torre, a retired NYPD lieutenant, U.S. Coast Guard veteran and past president of the Bay Ridge Historical Society, joined fellow retired police officer Louis DeMarco, an Army veteran, in laying Christmas wreaths at area cemeteries.

They started by placing wreaths at the tombstones in the small Revolutionary War cemetery on the southwest corner of McKay Place and Narrows Avenue, near the rear side of Xaverian H.S. DeMarco, who has a long history of volunteering and encouraged others to take part in this annual event, took a picture of Torre placing one of the wreaths.

Their next stop was Green-Wood Cemetery, where they spent the rest of the day laying wreaths. The  motto of the National Wreaths Across America organization is “Remember, Honor and Teach.” Remember the fallen, honor those who have served and teach the next generation the value of freedom. 

The group’s 2023 theme was “Serve and Succeed.” They have volunteers in all 50 states helping to donate and place wreaths.

According to another published news item, in 2021 DeMarco raised enough money to fund 160 wreaths. This past year he raised about $3,000 to purchase 200 of them.  

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Former Bay Ridgeite Edward O’Donnell, a historian-at-large, a history professor at Holy Cross College and a prolific author of about a dozen books, was the guest speaker at the December meeting of the Bay Ridge Historical Society. O’Donnell’s subject was the Erie Canal, which was built between 1817 and 1825. He said the canal runs 373 miles across upstate New York and he showed pictures of it under construction and what it looks like today.

After the meeting, and while he didn’t mention it, I learned he recently completed bicycling 100 miles in the 15th annual New England Parkinson’s Ride in his now home state of Massachusetts.

Tom McCarthy is the president of the historical society.