Orange Memorial Day Ceremony to Honor WWII Veterans

This year's Memorial Day parade will have all the patriotic pomp and circumstance that Orange residents have come to love, but it will also include a special and powerful tribute to World War II veterans.

The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 27, at the gazebo on the parade grounds at the . The opening remarks and services will last about an hour and then the parade will step off down Orange Center Road toward Route 1. The closing ceremony will be at the cemetery.

As in year's past the parade will feature many floats, antique cars, veteran organizations and police officers and firefighters, as well as groups like Little League teams and boys and girl Scouts. There will be eight bands, too.

“It’s a very nice parade,” says Karen Goldberg, the first selectman’s office manager.

The one thing different this year is that the town has decided to honor all living and deceased veterans from World War II. Goldberg says she has a list of 35 names of WWII veterans from Orange. They will be treated to lunch following the ceremonies, compliments of the town's Memorial Day Committee and the American Legion Post.

This year's Grand Marshal is James M. White, the Honorary Chief of Staff is Vito J. Bezito, and the Keynote Speaker is Rev. Ann M. Ritonia.

Prior to becoming the Reverend of Church of the Good Shepherd, Ritonia served in the U.S. Marines from 1979-2007. She was on active duty from 1979-86 and then active reserves from 1986-07, during which time she did a tour during Desert Storm.

"It was a challenging time," she says. "You know when you sign up those are the risks you take and that you are wiling to make."

It was while serving in the Marine Corps that Ritonia met her husband, Michael. The couple lives in Orange and has four children -- Elizabeth, 24, Emily, 23, John, 20, and Matthew, 19 -- and three dogs.

How did a Marine end up becoming a Reverend?

“It’s interesting," she says. "I knew from a fairly young age that God was calling me for my leadership. I learned what I needed to learn about being a leader and making difficult decisions from my service."

"It was almost like pieces of a puzzle being put together," the 54-year-old adds.

As for what Orange residents can expect to hear from Ritonia during her speech, she was still working on that as of Thursday, but says it will touch upon the true meaning and significance of the day.

"Sadly Memorial Day has digressed to a kick off of summer rather than a day for us to remember those who have sacrificed their lives to uphold the Constitution of the United States and protect our freedoms," she says. "It’s a day to remember why they served as well as the ultimate gift that they’ve given us. It's a time for us to sit back and remember who we are as a country.”