Meaning of holiday not forgotten
Hundreds gather at national cemetery to honor country’s fallen heroes.
LAKE WORTH — While some came to remember family members, Boca Raton resident Barry Helfanbein was there to remember his friend — Jerry Voda, a Korean War veteran and homeowners’ association board member with a knack for helping people.
After Hurricane Wilma tore through Palm Beach County in 2005, Voda helped dozens of owners in his Boca Raton townhome complex get new roofs. An engineer, Voda would sit in his garage, with the door open, helping neighbors who needed items repaired.
Voda died a few years ago, and was buried at the South Florida National Cemetery in his military uniform. Since then, on Memorial Day, Helfanbein visits the cemetery to honor his friend.
“I have a great deal of respect for him,” Helfanbein said. “I come in his honor.”
Helfanbein was among hundreds of visitors who attended the Memorial Day ceremony at the cemetery, where more than 23,000 veterans and their spouses and dependents are interred.
Many family members visited their loved ones’ graves before and after Monday’s hour-long program, which featured a vintage aircraft flyover, a musical selection from the Wellington High School band, and the release of orange balloons to honor those who suffer from the effects of Agent Orange.
Dressed in red, white and blue, and donning a cluster of American Flag pins on her shirt, Boca Raton resident Eleanor Danciu watched the ceremony by her husband’s marker. Emil Danciu served in the U.S. Army’s medical corps before becoming the mayor of Boca Raton, a position