Unexpected Memorial Day Wreaths Find a Place in Remembering

Sean Boyle said he just wanted to do something to help remembering fallen soldiers amidst all the celebration of the lifting of COVID restrictions, the beginning of summer and the entry of much better weather.

After a call to the Charlestown Veterans, and a little direction, he quickly put together several memorial wreaths, placed the on about six war memorials across the Town, and called it a day on Monday.

Sean Boyle, of Baby Boyle Bouquets, partnered with the Veterans groups in the Town to augment their pole decorating efforts by placing traditional Memorial Day wreaths at all the monuments in Charlestown. It was a quiet effort, but one that has gotten a lot of loud applause in the days after Memorial Day.

However, the seemingly small act to Boyle has garnered great appreciation from park advocates and veterans groups all over Charlestown – who felt it was a completely appropriate gesture on Memorial Day to enhance the existing pole decoration done around Town by the Veterans and the American Legion.

“I just really felt I wanted to do something as a tribute,” said Boyle, who operates Baby Boyle Bouquets from the Charlestown Working Theatre. “I have a lot of military in my family – no one that has died in war though. I felt like these fallen veterans get overlooked sometimes with people going on vacation and celebrating summer, which is great, but we need to remember these fallen heroes.”

Boyle said he first approached the veterans with the idea of giving flowers to veterans, but they said it might be better to make wreaths instead and place them at the various war memorials – including those at the Training Field, the Bunker Hill Monument, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the World War II Memorial and the Maritime Memorial on Medford Street.

So that’s what he did, quietly.

That quiet effort has garnered a lot of loud praise for something that many, including Boyle, hope will continue moving forward each Memorial Day.

Joe Zuffante of the Abraham Lincoln Post said he was very surprised by the final product that Boyle placed – saying it was a great idea.

“He did a great job to help us honor these fallen veterans,” said Zuffante. “We were overwhelmed by it when we saw them. It was just very nice.”

Likewise, the Friends of City Square Park said they had no idea who had placed the wreath at the World War II Memorial, but were very grateful that Boyle had taken the time to place the wreaths.

Now Boyle said he’d like to continue the effort with the Veterans group every year as a way to give back from his business.

“I hope I can have enough money to do it again next year, it’s important to me to be able to donate it,” he said. “At the end of the day, these people gave their lives and that makes my contribution so little. This is part of my industry and I’m supposed to help people celebrate life and death and this is part of that.”

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