Foster Sayers Memorial Ceremony set for Friday
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HOWARD -- With Memorial Day fast approaching, the Howard Area Lions Club will be holding the annual Foster Joseph Sayers Memorial Ceremony on Friday, May 24, at 6 p.m. at the Sayers Memorial site.
Sayers was born in Marsh Creek on April 27, 1924, and joined the Army in March of 1943.
Sayers left a young wife, Ellen (Gardner) Sayers, behind during World War II when he was sent overseas, where the 20-year-old was killed in action on Nov. 12, 1944 in Thionville, France.
Sayers was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and eventually the Private First Class was honored with the naming of Sayers Dam in Bald Eagle State Park.
Sayers never knew that his wife had given birth to their son, Foster Joseph Sayers, Jr., on Aug. 7, 1944. The letters that Ellen had mailed to him and the baby photos of his newborn namesake came back in the mail unopened.
The Howard Area Lions Club decided in 2012 to create the Foster Joseph Sayers Memorial Site at the breast of the dam in Liberty Township (near Ridge Crest Mobile Home Park) to honor the WWII hero, their club members, many of whom are veterans, and all United States military veterans.
Flagpoles were planted and, eventually, a keystone-shaped walkway was laid with pavers.
The statue of Sayers faces towards the rising sun and the backdrop of the mountainside with the picturesque waters of the lake make for a beautiful outdoor setting for the memorial ceremonies held each May.
The Lions Club takes orders for the engraved bricks of service members from all over the country that are then laid into the Walk of Honor. Some 612 pavers have been laid into the walkway, with another 15 having been recently ordered to be engraved and inserted soon.
The public is invited to the Sayers Memorial Ceremony which begins at 6 p.m. Both the Centre and Clinton County Veterans Affairs offices will be represented during the ceremony as well as commissioners from both counties. Pleasant Gap American Legion Post 867 and the Bellefonte VFW Post 1600 Honor Guard will play a part in the ceremony, along with various military veterans.
The keynote speaker for this year's ceremony will be Colonel Brad W. Pierson. Foster Joseph Sayers, III, along with his wife Eden and their sons, Foster Joseph Sayers IV and Fletcher, will also be here for this year's memorial ceremony. Sayers, III will be speaking during the ceremony and his father will have a part in the Laying of the Wreaths during the evening.
Those attending the ceremony will want to bring a lawn chair to be more comfortable.
In the event of inclement weather, the service will be moved indoors to the Beech Creek Wesleyan Church.