Adams County veterans honored at cemeteries, churches across the county

Charles H. Eyre American Legion Post 633 turned Memorial Day into a countywide circuit of remembrance, carrying ceremonies from Winchester Cemetery and Cherry Fork Cemetery to Countryside Church, Lawshe Cemetery, Mount Leigh Cemetery and Tranquility Church and Cemetery. In each stop, the Seaman post’s honor guard linked Adams County’s small towns and crossroads through the same shared tribute: veterans remembered by name, school musicians at the ready and families standing together.

The observances drew in the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 633, Junior Auxiliary Unit 633 and Sons of the American Legion Squadron 633, underscoring how the tradition has remained a family effort across generations. At the cemeteries, the North Adams High School Band and Choir helped lead the National Anthem and provided Taps, giving the Adams County Ohio Valley School District a visible role in the county’s veterans tradition. At Mount Leigh Cemetery, band members were seen tuning up with director Matt Williams before the ceremony.

Photo captions from the day showed how local the gatherings remained. At Winchester Cemetery, participants included Margaret Edwards, Kloey Edwards, Eric Newman, Frank Miller, Tom Putnam, Larry Hughes, Bob Wright, Jim Stewart, Rebecca Rickey, Gary Embrey, Viktor Hill, Johnie Edwards and Maria Newman. At Tranquility Cemetery, the scene included Eros Dunkin, George Biely, Larry Hughes, Eric Newman, Jim Stewart, Viktor Hill, Gary Embrey, Rebecca Rickey, Dan Raines and R2 Dunkin, with the Dunkin brothers rendering Taps there.

The Tranquility observance carried its own listed program details. The 2026 Memorial Day service was scheduled for Monday, May 25, 2026, at 2 p.m. at Tranquility Community Church and Tranquility Cemetery. Colonel Norman Poklar, USAF, retired, was listed as the speaker, and the program included a North Adams choral group, several local youth and Charles H. Eyre American Legion Post 633.

The post’s name carries the story back to a local veteran whose service still shapes the ritual. Charles Harris Eyre, born June 27, 1922, served in the Army Air Corps with the 384th Bomb Group’s 545th Squadron. He was killed in action on April 13, 1944, when his B-17G was shot down over Schweinfurt, Germany, and the post was renamed in his honor after his death. A memorial erected by Post 633 in Seaman identifies Eyre as a B-17 gunner killed on his 24th mission.

That history also sits beside living memory. Ralph Stern, described as the last World War II veteran at Charles H. Eyre American Legion Post 633 and a charter member of the post, was honored by fellow members with a certificate for 75 years of Legion membership. Together, the ceremonies showed how Adams County still keeps Memorial Day rooted in local names, local places and the people who refuse to let those stories fade.