Memorial Day done right

It was 1983 when someone asked Mit Beres to take over Elmwood’s Memorial Day remembrance.
“They told me, ‘We need somebody to take care of this,’” Beres recalled Monday evening.
Earlier in the day, the 83-year-old had coordinated a ceremony in the same crisp, precise manner he has for more than 40 years. Why stay at it so long? “I was proud of it,” Beres said.

He is still proud of the event, which for years has consisted of a walk from Central Park to a veterans’ memorial in Elmwood Township Cemetery. There a prayer is followed by “Taps” and by the laying of wreaths, the fire of arms and a color-guard salute – followed by a walk back to Central Park for patriotic songs, a speech or two and the national anthem.

It is a simple, reverent ceremony designed to pay respects to military personnel who died in service to our country. Though Memorial Day has become a holiday for families to gather and enjoy each other’s company, it is not merry at its core.

Beres feels that keenly. He makes a point to recall the comment of his sister-in-law Cathy, who was in town one year for the celebration and was moved to write, “Elmwood, they do Memorial Day right.”

Actually, many of our communities do it right. There are solemn tributes at most local cemeteries from Farmington to Princeville to Brimfield to Williamsfield. Beres is focused on the Elmwood ceremony and his pride is understandable – even more so when you consider he has always been part teacher and part salesman.

“I taught and I sold,” he said. “When you sell, you teach. You’re telling people about the product you are selling. And when you teach, you sell, because you’re trying to get kids to think about what you are teaching them.”

A Pekin native, he came to Elmwood for his first teaching job in 1966, fresh out of the University of Illinois and after having served in Korea with the U.S. Army. He spent 11 years during his first tour in Elmwood and since then has held various jobs in education and sales – including stints as principal at Yates City from 1981-85, as a car salesman, as an English and speech teacher in Elmwood from 1995-2002 and as a salesman for H&H Industries, Inc., until just recently.

Oh yes, he also sold nuts to taverns across Illinois, finding a way to make money while enjoying one of his favorite pastimes.

If you note past tense in much of this, that’s because Beres is leaving. Monday was his final Memorial Day as head honcho. In a few weeks, he will move to Ankeny, Iowa, to be closer to his son Tony and his 12-year-old granddaughter, Meyah.

He has already sold the unique house on Main Street that he loves so much and has entered that odd period of partings many retirees face. With them come stilted conversations about memories, legacies and other awkward topics, such as, “Who gets your furniture?”

Beres cuts to the point to end the unease.

“If I’m not all right, it’s my own damn fault,” he said. “I’ll probably look up the VFW. They have a few watering holes (in Ankeny). So I will not be without a place to go. And no, I am not having an auction.”
Beres does not know the Memorial Day traditions in his new home. Nor does he know what will happen in Elmwood on May 25, 2026.

What he should know is that for more than four decades, Memorial Day in Elmwood has been treated with the pride and reverence it deserves. And that’s a very good legacy to claim.
Contact Jeff Lampe at (309) 231-6040 or jeff@wklypost.com