- April 3, 2025
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Attendees of the ceremony stood in silence as the flag was hoisted to half staff.
The City of Ocoee District 4 Commissioner Ages Hart led those present through an invocation.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s staff assistant Konstantina Vervitas attended the ceremony and addressed the audience in representation of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio.
Ocoee District 2 Commissioner Rosemary Wilsen welcomed everyone to the Memorial Day ceremony.
Ocoee Police officers Patera Scott-Marsh, Ashley Correa and Jazz DeVine presented the colors at the beginning of the ceremony.
Ocoee District 3 Commissioner Richard Firstner introduced the keynote speaker for the ceremony.
Keynote speaker and retired 1st Sgt. Daila Espeut-Jones addressed the audience with an emotional anecdote from her time in service.
Ocoee Police officers Patera Scott-Marsh, Ashley Correa and Jazz DeVine were in charge of hoisting the flag at half staff to salute fallen soldiers.
Ocoee Commissioners stood in front of the memorial site to read the names of Ocoee residents who have served their country.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s staff assistant Konstantina Vervitas, Ocoee Commissioners Scott Kennedy, Ages Hart, Rosemary Wilsen and Richard Firstner, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s State Operations Manager Andrew Metante and keynote speaker Daila Espeut-Jones.
Veteran Thomas Lowrie and his wife, Sue Lowrie, attended the Memorial Day ceremony.
Dennis and Gail Kohmetscher from the Ocoee Lions Club posed for a picture with District 2 Commissioner Rosemary Wilsen, keynote speaker retired 1st Sgt. Daila Espeut-Jones and Ocoee Police Chief Saima Plasencia.
A crown of flowers was presented in front of the plaque where the names of those who served are engraved.
This memorial site at the Ocoee Lakeshore Center honors those who lost their lives while serving their country.
The City of Ocoee hosted a Memorial Day ceremony Thursday, May 25.
For the first time since COVID-19 happened, Ocoee leaders gathered to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, those who have served and those who are currently serving their country in an emotional ceremony at the Ocoee Lakeshore Center.
“It is with great respect and humility that I stand before of you today to honor the valiant women and men who have sacrificed their lives in service to our country,” retired 1st Sgt. Daila Espeut-Jones said. “Today, as a grateful nation, we come together to honor their sacrifice, to remember their legacy and to express our deepest appreciation to their families. Throughout the month of May, in honor of Military Month, flags are placed on monuments and cemeteries, and many people — including myself — continue to speak of the valor of those memories we honor, because they made the ultimate sacrifice.
“I’m a proud military member of the band of sisters and brothers that represent the world’s finest military services,” she said. “These are the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, United States Air Force, United States Navy, United States Coast Guard and the United States Space Force.”
