Beyers Funeral Home hosted their 2nd annual veterans picnic today just outside their Leesburg office. Last year’s event drew over 300 guests, and this year’s event opened with over 100 attendees within the first 10 minutes.
“We wanted to do this to honor our veterans, and what they mean to our country. There can never be enough done for the veterans who have put their lives in harms way, and in many cases sacrificed their lives so that we may have a better life” said Roger Beyers, the third generation of four generations of Beyers who have called Lake county their home for nearly 100 years.
Roger’s father, Ivan Beyers, is a veteran who served in World War II, something Roger is immensely proud of and shows through his dedication to honoring those who have served our country. Earlier this year, Ivan attended Honor Flight with his grandson as his guardian, Roger Beyers, Jr. Ivan, who turned 90 this year, greatly enjoyed his experience during Honor Flight, saying he had “never seen people so gracious and thankful” for his service in the Navy.
The event opened with four members of the Leesburg High School ROTC (all of whom will be serving in various branches of the military, including the marine corp, army, and air force) acting as color guard. Lunch was sponsored by Beyers Funeral Home and staffed with volunteers from Beyers and the community. Sonny’s and Sobik’s donated baked beans, cole slaw, and cookies.
“We have over 300 hamburgers, and 250 hot dogs,” said grillmaster Henry Hill, who traveled down from Eastman, Georgia to cook for the veterans. He and his son, Brandon, tended to the grill while dozens lined up for the hamburgers and hot dogs donated by Beyers. “What they’ve done for us, we’ll never be able to repay,” said Hill of the service offered by the Veterans. “We support anything and everything to do with veterans,” said Roger, Sr.
