After a three-year hiatus primarily due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the annual Memorial Day Service returns this Monday, May 26 to the O.D. Strother Chapel in Maple Grove Cemetery.

This year’s event, which is set to begin at 10 a.m., will mark the 25th annual service. Brig. Sgt. Brad Carter, will be the guest speaker and the Joy Bells, the handbell choir from First United Methodist Church in Seminole are slated to perform under the direction of Sandy Peters. Carl Odom, American Legion Post 204 Commander, is scheduled to lead the pledge of Allegiance and refreshments will be served.

The service is under the direction of the Maple Grove Cemetery Chapel Association, a local nonprofit group dedicated to preserving the historic chapel and surrounding area.

“The services are really beautiful, and I invite the community to come and pay respects to our veterans,” said board member Lillian Hayes.

Strother Chapel was built by Susan Simpson in the early part of the 20th century upon the death of her father, oilman O.D. Strother.

She dedicated it to her father and later donated the chapel to the City of Seminole, where it was used for funerals and memorial services. Over the next 90 years, the chapel fell into disrepair and in 1996, the Preceptor Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi began voicing concerns and tried to work on renovations. The Maple Grove Cemetery Chapel Association was eventually formed and picked up where others left off. The chapel is now offered for free to anyone who desires to have a memorial service for a loved one.

The Association is chaired by Sonia Scott. Board members include Mary Bryan, Kari Bryan Tammy Conner and Lillian Hayes.