Jeff Pettit’s pledge to put a wreath on every veteran’s grave at Lake Township Cemetery during the Christmas season is being fulfilled 16 months after his sudden death.
Mr. Pettit, who died Jan. 23, 2023, after a yearlong cancer battle, had started a Memorial Day classic car cruise-in in 2016 to raise money for Wreaths Across America.
It was an uphill battle. The first year, the effort raised enough money to put 60 wreaths on 2,400 of the veterans’ graves at the cemetery, which is located on Walbridge Road in Millbury.
In 2022, the year before Mr. Pettit died, they were just 200 shy from doing all the graves.
Last year’s Jeff Pettit Memorial Car Show raised $30,000 — enough to put a wreath by every veteran’s marker in the cemetery.
This year’s show is set for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a 7 to 10:30 a.m. breakfast opening the event at Friendship Park, 28001 Moline-Martin Rd. in Millbury.
Glen Chandler, who is better known as Cruisin Zeake and has been doing car shows in the area for 19 years, said he partnered with Mr. Pettit for the first car show.
“He knew I did car shows,” Mr. Chandler said. “We put our heads together, and we put on our first show.”
“The goal was to get money for all veterans' graves, and last year we did that,” he said.
It took a village of volunteers to continue the fund-raiser after Mr. Pettit’s death.
Ken Gilsdorf, who had served on the Lake Township Board of Trustees with Mr. Pettit and is commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9963 in Walbridge, said he would take the lead.
Mr. Chandler said he would handle the car show part.
The ladies’ auxiliary of Post 9963 added a breakfast to the event, serving a spread of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, coffee, and juice. They also sell poppies and baked goods.
Mr. Chandler said a highlight of the event is a noon tribute to veterans.
During the gun salute, he plays “God Bless the USA,” and everyone joins hands.
“Everybody laughs and cries; there’s not a dry eye any place,” Mr. Gilsdorf said. “You just realize the sacrifices these veterans have made.”
Those sacrifices are what inspired Mr. Pettit to start the car show as a fund-raiser for Wreaths Across America, his wife, Tena, said.
A few years ago, Mr. Pettit volunteered to be a guardian on an Honor Flight, which takes veterans to the Washington-area memorials, Mrs. Pettit said.
“Talking to the guys about the war and what they gave, he wanted to give something back to them,” she said.
In addition to serving as a trustee, Mr. Pettit coached T-ball and soccer, and delivered meals to seniors, she said. He was also known for his business, Artistic Memorials, and monument engraving.
Mr. Gilsdorf said he spent about two hours with Mr. Pettit on the day before he died. The uncertain future of the car show and Wreaths Across America was on his mind, Mr. Gilsdorf said.
“I asked him, ‘How would you feel if the VFW took it over, and we’ll carry on for you?’ And he teared up and said, ‘You’d do that for me?’” Mr. Gilsdorf said.
The wreath-laying, which is just before Christmas, has really taken off for veterans’ families, he said. According to the Wreaths Across America website, over 2.7 million wreaths were put on graves in 2022.
“I think it means more than a flag for Memorial Day, and I get that all the time. It means the world to them,” Mr. Gilsdorf said. “The wreaths make them feel that this veteran isn’t forgotten.”
Mrs. Pettit, who will be at Saturday’s event, said she knows her husband will be there in spirit.
“I think Jeff will be looking down and thinking, ‘Oh wow, that’s terrific,’” she said. “He would be very proud and thankful.”
More about the Jeff Pettit Memorial Car Show
VFW Post 9963 Auxiliary will serve breakfast from 7 to 10:30 a.m. for $8 at Friendship Park, 28001 Moline-Martin Rd. in Millbury. It includes pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, coffee, and juice.
The auxiliary will sell baked goods and wreath sponsorships. There will be 50/50 drawings and a basket raffle.
Around 300 classic cars are expected for the cruise-in, which is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost is $10 per vehicle.
A military program will be held at noon.
Wreaths Across America will be held at the cemetery on Dec. 14 at noon. Volunteers will lay over 2,400 wreaths on military graves.
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