Dunkirk Memorial Day services precede the parade that begins at 11 a.m. on Monday.

.The City of Dunkirk Festivals and Special Events department are proud to announce the Annual Memorial Day Parade in downtown Dunkirk on Monday. The parade is sponsored by Chautauqua Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Refresco, Central Station Restaurant, Northern Chautauqua Catholic School and Dunkirk Memorial Post 62.

The day will begin with a memorial service at 8:30 a.m. at the Dunkirk Lighthouse presented by the Knights of Columbus and a 10 a.m. memorial service at Memorial Park directed by the Dunkirk Joint Veterans Council.

The Memorial Day services will be conducted by the participating organizations of the Dunkirk Joint Veterans Council under the direction of Mr. Jack Sievert, Commander, with master of ceremonies John D’Agostino, editor of the Observer, The Post-Journal and Times Observer.

The D.J.V.C. has been proudly hosting the Memorial Day Services since 1966, making 2025 their 59th year of honoring our veterans who made the supreme sacrifice for us, laying down their lives while serving in the Armed Forces.

The event’s grand marshal is Angeline “Angie” Rose (Gagliardi) Galardo Corbett who was born on June 1,1923 in Dunkirk, New York. She was the sixth child of 17 (12 girls and five boys) born to Carlo (Gagliardi) Galardo of Caggiano, Italy and Maria Sabata “Mary Elizabeth” Leggiadro of Potenza, Italy. Angie helped on the family farms until WWII when she joined the war effort as a Rosie the Riveter at the Curtiss Wright factory, Plant 2, Line 9 in Buffalo, NY around 1941.

She was a Bucker and Riveter on the war planes. The P-40 planes were made in this factory. It was at Curtiss Wright where she would meet her husband, Clarence D. Corbett of Ivanhoe, North Carolina. Clarence was an Army Air Forces guard at the factory and became smitten with the young Galardo woman. They courted and then wed December 4, 1943 before the Army shipped him overseas for duty. The Corbetts’ first child, Clarence Daniel “C.D” was born October 1944. When the elder Clarence came home from the war, he took his new family back home to North Carolina.

Soon they welcomed their daughter Dixie in November of 1946. Around 1952, the family packed up and headed north to Dunkirk, NY to be closer to Angie’s family. In January 1957 they added to their family with the birth of John David and just 13 months later in February 1958 (passed February 2016), Sylvia was born, completing the family. Angie began working outside the home by the mid-1970s as a lunchroom monitor at School 3 and stayed on until about 2008 after her first battle with breast cancer.

She was active in her parish at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, often helping out in the kitchen on Bingo nights.

Today, at nearly 102 years old, Angie is surrounded by her two sons C.D. and John, her daughter Dixie, five grandsons, four granddaughters, two step grandsons, two step granddaughters, seven great grandsons, 10 great-granddaughters, three step great grandsons, five step great-granddaughters, a great great grandson due in May, two step great great grandsons, several of their spouses, as well as many, many cousins, nieces and nephews. She is a member of the American Rosie the Riveter Association.

The Memorial Day Parade will begin approximately at 11 a.m. directly following the Memorial Day Service. The parade route proceeds east on Lake Shore Drive West to Central Avenue, right on Central Avenue and proceeds to Fifth Street. The parade turns east onto Fifth Street and disbands at Washington Park with a hydration station hosted by Revitalize Dunkirk. The parade is being organized by parade marshal Scott Mekus, Dunkirk Festivals event specialist while Dave Rowley will once again take the reins as parade emcee at City Hall.

A decorated veterans’ trailer organized and towed by Jack Hood of the Dunkirk Memorial Post 62 will be available to any veteran wanting to ride in the Monday parade. It will be parked at Memorial Park by the rails behind the monuments for easier transport. If interested, please contact Mekus at (716) 366-9848 or smekus@cityofdunkirk.com

A Weidner’s chicken barbecue will be held at the American Legion Post 62 from noon to sold out.

The parade lineup will be included in Saturday’s OBSERVER.