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Derby holds 2025 Thanksgiving remembrance; mayor, clergy and volunteers lead prayers and readings
Summary
Derby’s 2025 Thanksgiving Remembrance drew community members for prayers, songs and public readings of residents who died since Jan. 1, 2024; Mayor Joseph L. Martino, clergy and local volunteers led the ceremony, which was livestreamed for families who could not attend.
Derby community members gathered for the city’s 2025 Thanksgiving Remembrance ceremony to honor residents who died during the prior reporting period. Mark Garfal, chair of the Derby 350th anniversary committee and town clerk, opened the event and asked attendees to hold applause until the program concluded.
The ceremony included prayers, historical remarks, musical performances and public readings. "As we gather in this season of thanksgiving, we pause to center ourselves in Christ," Father Mike Soski said during the invocation, which preceded the Pledge of Allegiance led by Gus Williams of American Legion Post 24 and a performance of the national anthem by Sarah.
"On behalf of the city of Derby, I am honored to welcome you to this gathering of gratitude and remembrance," Mayor Joseph L. Martino said, urging the community to support families who are grieving. The program featured a historical overview of Thanksgiving in Connecticut presented by Germaine Gizo and a 1936 proclamation read by James B., identified in the program as chair of the board of education.
State Representative Mary Wheelinger (114th District) read the poem "Let Us Give Thanks," and local historian Jack Walsh offered reflections on memory and loss. Randy Witter, Scoutmaster of Troop 3, read the reflection "The Dash," calling attention to how lives are defined by the time between birth and death.
Volunteers and staff then read aloud the names of Derby residents who died in the listed period. The printed program and on-stage announcements identify the list as covering those who died between Jan. 1, 2024 and Oct. 31; the program text contains inconsistent year references in places, which event organizers said they will correct for next year. Attendees whose loved ones’ names were read were asked to rise in remembrance.
Organizers noted logistical details before closing: the ceremony was filmed and will be available on the city’s Facebook Live and YouTube channels for family members who could not attend, and the 350th committee is selling commemorative memorabilia. "We embrace you today — we stand with you in your grief," Mark Garfal said in closing, thanking volunteers, school staff and the senior center for compiling the names.
The ceremony concluded with a benediction delivered by Father Marovski and a final performance of "God Bless America." Committee leaders invited anyone with corrections to the names list to contact the clerk’s office and encouraged volunteers to help improve next year’s program.
