Community marks first Wreaths for Heroes event after Lorraine Adkins' passing

Wreaths are placed on the graves of veterans buried at the National Cemetery during a past Wreaths for Heroes event.
Wreaths are placed on the graves of veterans buried at the National Cemetery during a past Wreaths for Heroes event.

Volunteers on Saturday morning once again laid wreaths upon the more than 1,500 graves at Jefferson City's National Cemetery in the annual Wreaths for Heroes event, but they did so for the first time after the event's matriarch passed away.

Lorraine Adkins' death earlier this year was not the same kind of sacrifice as the fallen soldiers buried in the cemetery. She died at her home from illness, not in combat. However, her life of 88 years featured sacrifices given to honor the military men and women like those whose lives the wreaths mark.

Adkins began Wreaths for Heroes in 2010.

Chris Jarboe is the president of Operation Bugle Boy - which Adkins also strongly supported - and he reminisced Saturday about when Adkins presented idea for the event to OBB Vice President Don Hentges and himself; she later chose Hentges as her successor to lead Wreaths for Heroes.

Jarboe said he could tell there was no stopping Adkins, something her husband Pete confirmed on the phone at the time, too. "Coach Adkins basically said, 'by golly, she's going to do it,' and when I heard that from Coach Adkins, I knew the train had already left the station. And the rest is history," he said.

"On behalf of Lorraine, I want to tell you how humbled she would be to be here today, to see everybody that's here," he said, addressing a crowd of hundreds after they laid the wreaths.

The first wreath placed was to honor Lorraine.

"I know Lorraine was smiling down on us," Hentges told the crowd Saturday.

"We got down to the last pickup (of loading wreaths), and she would have liked that caravan to be about 10 miles long, I guarantee you," Pete Adkins told the crowd. "Well, we didn't have a 10-miler this time, but I think next year we can work to increase the length of that caravan, whether the police like it or not, see if we can make the caravan for Lorraine just a little bit longer, just maybe about another 100 cars," he added.

Adkins also mentioned a project underway is to look into getting another national cemetery in Jefferson City, as the existing one is full.

Melanie Morfeld and her son Royce, both of Westphalia, were at the cemetery to help mark the existing headstones with wreaths.

It was the mom and son's first year doing Wreaths for Heroes. They're with the Argyle VFW Auxiliary 8045, and they came after another auxiliary member shared their experience from last year.

Melanie said they don't have any family buried in the cemetery, but the Morfelds came to lay down as many wreaths as they could. "We're very proud of these men and ladies," she said.

The program for this year's event featured a picture of Lorraine and Pete Adkins walking out of the cemetery last year - the last ones to do so. The couple were married for 68 years, and Pete is a veteran of World War II, along with being a legendary local football coach.

Rosie Verslues read a piece that reflected on life - Lorraine's in particular - that compared the journeys we all take to getting on and off a train that travels from birth to death.

"The mystery that prevails is that we do not know at which station we ourselves will step down. Thus, we must try to travel along the tracks of life in the best possible way - loving, forgiving, giving, sharing and serving others. When the time came for Lorraine to step down and leave her seat empty, she left behind beautiful memories for those to continue to travel on the train of life - a good wife, a loving mother, Wreaths for Heroes, Operation Bugle Boy, her service to the Cole County Historical Society and many more," Verslues said.

"Thank you Lorraine, for being one of the passengers on our train of life. We love you and miss you. We know you are watching over us today as we honor our veterans."