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Lighthouse keepers to be honored April 7

The Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society will honor five men and one woman who kept the watch for decades at area lighthouses in a series of ceremonies in Mathews County on Saturday, April 7.

The public is invited to join in the dedication of the newly-installed grave markers, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

At each grave site, uniformed Coast Guard Auxiliary personnel will present the U.S. flag. The chapter president will offer remarks at each grave about the keeper’s life and achievements before unveiling the markers. The playing of “Taps” will follow and there will be time for conversation and reflection before the transition to the next grave site.

The first ceremony will be held at 9:30 a.m. at the grave of Windmill Point Lighthouse Keeper Charles Edwin Respess at Gwynn’s Island Cemetery on Old Ferry Road, said Tom Edwards, a descendent of Respess.

Other lighthouse keepers who will be honored are Wolf Trap Lighthouse Keeper Floyd Earl Crewe, at 11 a...

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