TOLEDO, Ohio —
People gathered on Memorial Day at the Ottawa Hills Memorial Park, while practicing social distancing guidelines, to honor fallen veterans and local heroes.
"I want to recognize not only our veteran heroes but also, the heroes from our community. With that being said, essential workers, all the way to the scientist and to our healthcare workers to firefighters to our police, it's endless down to our delivery and grocery store workers,” Ottawa Hills Memorial Park General Manager Jim Szakovits said.
You'll see flags displayed throughout the cemetery in honor of the 8,000 veterans laid to rest there.
The American flag is flown half staff for the veterans who lost their life and also for those who lost their lives while battling the coronavirus.
"Local people who lost their lives, it's a very special time to remember them and many of them were veterans too," Szakovits added.
Sakowitz also said this tradition has been carrying on for years and will continue to do so.
To some Memorial Day means barbecues and family gatherings, but to others, the holiday means a whole lot more.
"My father was a veteran, he passed three years ago this coming month. I have a son who's serving right now, and you know, I have many, many other family members," family service provider Barbara Borden said.
Borden said she was honored to help set-up this Memorial Day celebration.
"We are good for what they did know that they sacrificed they did it for you they did it for me they did it for themselves," she added.
A few other memorial parks around town had a celebration of their own, such as Toledo Memorial Park, all of which practiced social distancing and kept a six-foot distance.
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