Butler Memorial Day Parade offers reminder of lives lost in Butler County, showcases veteran families
Like many long-distance couples who wanted to keep in touch before the advent of email, Sally and Leslie Passarelli, who met at Knoch High School, were dedicated to letter writing. This was no regular “snail mail.” Letters — in the early days of their relationship — took upward of six weeks to arrive. This was the reality of dating during the Vietnam War.
“We wrote letters every day,” Sally Passarelli said. “And it’s always on your mind about them being hurt or killed.”
Passarelli watched the Memorial Day parade in Butler on Monday, May 29, with her husband. They married right after the war ended, she said. A red poppy, symbolizing remembrance, was pinned to her blouse.
“I’m sure it was even harder for the wives and children,” she said.
The story of Sally and Leslie Passarelli was one of many represented Monday by the crowds of Butler residents and spouses, children and grandchildren of military personnel who lined both sides of Main Street to greet parade goers.
