MATTAPOISETT — Memorial Day is about memory and meaning — thinking back and looking forward — state representative Bill Straus said at Mattapoisett’s annual Memorial Day ceremony Monday, May 27. 

The town observed Memorial Day with a ceremony at Center School — at which Straus and other speakers touched on the significance of the day — and a procession that culminated at the town wharf with the throwing of a wreath into the ocean.

Participating in his final Memorial Day ceremony in Mattapoisett as a state representative, Straus said in a speech exploring the purpose of the day that to think just about what has happened in the past “is not enough, though it’s important.”

“We’re also — in our own ways — asked as citizens to look forward and guide some part of our daily lives in terms of the unfinished business of this country,” he said.

Following the remarks, the Mattapoisett American Legion Post 280 presented a certificate of appreciation to Straus.

The ceremony’s guest speaker was Linda Ferreira, a military spouse who has contributed life histories of area veterans to the Standard-Times. 

In speaking about the meaning of Memorial Day, Ferreira cited a social media post she saw titled “There is a difference.”

“Armed Forces Day is for those currently wearing a uniform,” Ferreira said. “Veterans Day is for those who used to wear a uniform. Memorial Day is for those who never made it out of their uniform.”

During the ceremony at Center School, the Showstoppers youth singing troupe and Old Hammondtown School band performed. 

Richard Langhoff, a member and chaplain of American Legion Post 280 who passed away in April, was also remembered with a moment of silence.

“You are missed, my friend,” Rachel Perron, the post’s commander, said. 

A parade down Barstow Street followed the ceremony, during which flowers were placed at the three war memorials in front of the Mattapoisett Free Public Library.

Then the procession continued to the town wharf. After a prayer to remember those who fell at sea, a wreath was thrown into the water of the Atlantic Ocean. It floated at the surface.