Solemn honors

From left, Shirley Hunt, the widow of the late Henry Lamar Hunt, looks at a photo of the monument dedicated in his honor on Oct. 21, with (obscured cadet), cadet Irelays De Jesus, veteran Ron Oppliger, and their son, Alan Hunt, and daughter, Lisa Hunt Keating. [Andy Fillmore]

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Posted October 23, 2023 | By Andy Fillmore, andy@ocalagazette.com

Family members and guests gathered at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park the morning of Oct. 21 for the semiannual memorial service and the unveiling of a monument to the late U.S. Army combat chaplain, Henry Lamar Hunt, who helped start the name reading service to honor deceased veterans nearly 20 years ago.

About 125 people joined the service in the park gazebo to “remember and honor” a group of veterans who lived in Marion County and passed away within the last six months.

The ceremony included the dedication of a Battlefield Cross monument honoring Hunt, who helped start the solemn readings. The monument features a military helmet and rifle, a picture of Hunt and a set of dog tags stating “Chaplain Hunt, (Col.) Henry Lamar—Korea/Vietnam— served 1965-1995.” Hunt died Dec. 11, 2015, in Ocala.

Former Ocala Police Chief Morrey Deen spoke at the dedication and said Hunt was “always there for the troops” in Southeast Asia, administering last rites or comforting soldiers. He said Hunt spearheaded the start of the memorial name readings soon after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, at a time when wounds from a negative homecoming were still recalled by many Vietnam War veterans. He mostly wanted to recognize the service of all veterans, Deen said.

“He would be honored and appreciative,” Deen said of Hunt.

The park support group, the Friends of Marion County’s Veterans Park Foundation, assisted the family in their quest to make and place the monument. An inscription on the base of the monument reads: “Loving Family Shirley, Alan, Lisa and Mark.” Hunt’s wife, Shirley; son, Alan; and daughter, Lisa Keating; witnessed the unveiling of the monument; which stands adjacent to the park gazebo.

“Beautiful,” Shirley Hunt said, adding that her late husband would be “so proud” of the monument and the respect tied to it.

The names read aloud for the semiannual memorial service, accompanied by the ringing of a bell, included those of 35 Army veterans, 22 Navy, 16 Air Force, two Army National Guard, one Army Reserve, one Army Air Corps, one Coast Guard Reserve and one Florida Air National Guard.

Several members of the Jones family rose when the name of U.S. Amry veteran Henry Jones, 84, was read.

Linda Steffen came to honor her late husband, Roy A. Steffen, 79, an Army veteran, who passed away on Feb. 5, 2023. Their daughter, Sherri Bellini, was also on hand.

“(The service) is wonderful and a nice thing to do,” Linda Steffen said. She said her husband served in the Vietnam War as a military policeman.

The names were read by members of the Ocala Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and the bell was rung for each name by veteran David Bice. An honor guard was provided by the West Port High School JROTC. The welcome was given by retired Army colonel Craig Ham. A prayer was offered by Coast Guard veteran Michael Kelso. The pledge of allegiance was led by Sam Coventry and Randy Zeller sang the national anthem. Korean War-era veteran Ralph Mueller played a military medley on his harmonica and John Earl provided bagpipe music.

Beverly Lafferty, with Hospice of Marion County, had sent out invitations to the service to veterans’ families and the DAR provided those who responded with labels bearing the deceased veteran’s name. The labels are placed on a “Wall of Heroes” in the Veterans Education center on park property.

Gayle Mohler attended the service to hear the name of her father, Army veteran George A. De Foldessay Fisher, who died Jan. 11, 2023, at age 94, among those being read aloud. Nan B. Fisher, the veteran’s wife of about 70 years, was also there.

Mohler, a Navy veteran, said of why she made sure his name was read, “Because he’s my father and he served.”