CAROLA LILLIE HARTLEY
Publisher and Contributing Writer
Photographs: Carola Lillie Hartley Collection
Memorial Day is listed as one of the annual holidays in the US. But when you look up the definition of holiday, you see words like festival, feast, outing, and celebration associated with it. However, Memorial Day is not really about that. It has a deeper meaning that we all need to respect. What we now consider a three-day celebration was really intended to be a commemoration.
The roots of Memorial Day go back over 150 years. Following the Civil War, a day was set aside to honor both Union and Confederate soldiers who died while serving in the armed forces. That special time of recognition was called Decoration Day since the graves of the fallen soldiers were adorned in a special way. Two cities lay claims to the beginnings of the holiday, Boalsbur, PA because they started decorating soldiers’ graves in 1864, and Charleston, SC since they held the first widely published commemoration day in May of 1865. In 1868 May 30th was selected for the annual Decoration Day, and hundreds of ceremonies were held at cemeteries in the US.
Over time throughout the south, including Louisiana and Opelousas, April 6th was the day selected to remember the Civil War dead. Newspaper accounts tell of the special ceremonies held annually on that day for decades. By the 1920s May 30th was finally recognized here and across the US as the day for that memorial. And by the 1940s, the day was expanded to honor all soldiers who gave their lives while serving their country. In 1968 the day was officially declared as Memorial Day, and in 1971, a law was passed to move the holiday to the last Monday in May, making it a three-day weekend celebration.
Services in memory of the war dead were held in Opelousas from the end of the Civil War and continued into the 20th century. One of the most notable Memorial Day observances in the town was held on May 30, 1946. On that day Opelousas had a huge parade to honor its fallen heroes.
Following the parade, a special place in the City Park, called the Garden of Memories, was dedicated to the soldiers, both men and women, killed in WWII. For this dedication there were prayers and speeches by local veterans who were more fortunate than their departed comrades. Those in attendance left the observance with heavy hearts and eyes filled with tears. The Opelousas Daily World editorial for that day announced, “Today in Opelousas we had the most reverent observance of Memorial Day recorded locally. We dedicated to the young men and women of this parish one of the nicest memorials that can be given to a departed loved one, a Garden of Memories.”
The garden was a joint project of the Opelousas Garden Club, the VFW Auxiliary and the American Legion Auxiliary. That 1946 dedication was just the beginning of the project. It still had to be completed. Many local women were part of the committee formed for that purpose. Susan Walker Anding was selected to lead the group, and with her hard work and dedication, the committee completed most of the project by August of 1947.
Since that time there have been so many Memorial Day celebrations in Opelousas — parades, ceremonies on the courthouse square, at city hall, in the parks, and parties at local homes where folks gather to enjoy their days off with family and friends. And those festivities continue today. As you enjoy this Memorial Day, think about the real meaning for the holiday. It is more than hamburgers, hot dogs and fun. It is a day of remembrance. A day to thank those Opelousas area fallen soldiers that gave the ultimate sacrifice so we can have such parties.
There are so many young men and women from the Opelousas area who died in the service of our country; it is impossible to name them all. They all deserve our thoughts and prayers on their special day. Here are just a few of the heroes we can remember this Memorial Day: Pierre Numa Estorge and Augustine Emile Ortego (US Civil War); Willie Andrus and J. J. Neyland (WWI); Rev. Joseph Verbis Lafleur, Moses J. Thomas, George W. Pavy, Hillary Soileau, Marion Dufilho, Walter Stephens, and Ivory Disotell (WWII); Leon Fabian Devillier and Randolph Andrew Johnson (Korean War); Abraham Jackson, Charles Edward Johnson and Floyd Leon Pitre (Vietnam War); Myles C. Sebastien, Jarred S. Fontenot, Joseph A. Richard,and Craig Davis (Iraq War).
Pray for these fallen soldiers and all other who lost their lives defending our country.
