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After reviving Marblehead’s participation in Wreaths Across America last year, local organizer Theresa Collins is passing the baton. This December, two Marblehead mothers, Emily DeJoy and Kim Crowley, will lead the effort to ensure veterans at Waterside Cemetery are once again honored with holiday wreaths.
“When we learned that Marblehead wasn’t set up to participate in Wreaths Across America this year, Kim and I were heartbroken,” DeJoy wrote in a recent community post. “Honoring our veterans is something deeply important to both of us, and we couldn’t bear the thought of Marblehead’s heroes being forgotten during the holidays.”
The annual event is part of a national tradition observed at more than 3,100 cemeteries, where volunteers place balsam wreaths on veterans’ graves, speak their names aloud and reflect on their service. The mission is to remember, honor and teach.
Last December, Collins coordinated Marblehead’s return to the program, bringing nearly 100 volunteers to Waterside Cemetery and other burial grounds. More than 2,000 wreaths with red bows were laid on headstones. The ceremony began at the renovated gazebo, with Collins reminding attendees: “We are not here today to decorate graves. We are here to remember their lives.”
This year, DeJoy and Crowley are taking on that responsibility, with support from neighbors and veterans groups.
How to help
- Sponsor a wreath: Each costs $17. Donations go toward wreaths at Waterside Cemetery. Contributions can be made through the official Marblehead page: wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/171077/overview.
- Save the date: National Wreaths Across America Day is Saturday, Dec. 13, at 10 a.m. Volunteers will gather at Waterside to take part in the ceremony alongside communities across the country.
- Attend a fundraiser: The Marblehead VFW will host an event at The Bunker on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, with entertainment by Brenden and Nick and Company. Proceeds will benefit the wreath effort.
Together, the two mothers hope to build on Collins’ work and ensure that once again, every veteran laid to rest in Marblehead is remembered this holiday season.
