Gold Star Families Memorial Dedicated
By Lion Susan Favorite
1Lt Robert Seidel was killed in Iraq in May 2006; Airman Apprentice Patrick Stellitano passed on U.S. soil in February 2020. What could these two men have in common? They died 14 years apart, on different continents, in different branches of the military. What they had in common: two determined, committed mothers. Two mothers who asked the Thurmont Lions Club to help them to build a monument in Thurmont, a monument to assist in giving solace to other mothers, other family members—be they children, siblings, aunts and uncles, and so on—as they mourn the loss of their family member. This monument is a place for all to stop, remember the sacrifice of those who paid the ultimate price for our country, and the sacrifice that the families of those individuals continue to pay each day thereafter.
The latest monument in Thurmont Memorial Park became a reality with its unveiling on September 27 – Gold Star Families Day. But that monument started way before that day; in fact, it had two beginnings.
The first beginning was in the early stages of WW2, when Hershel “Woody” Williams delivered Western Union telegrams to families who had lost a loved one in that War. As noted on the Woody Williams Foundation website: Woody “noted that consideration and recognition of the families of those lost in military service was very inadequate.” Woody went on to serve with distinction in WW2. In October 2013, he created the very first Gold Star Family Monument in Dunbar, West Virginia.
The Woody Williams Foundation continues to assist in the placement of Gold Star Family Monuments, which brings us to monument 162 and the second beginning. The second beginning was in late August 2025, the Town of Thurmont was approached by Julie El-Taher, chair of the Monument Committee, a Thurmont Lion, and Patrick Stellitano’s mother. Joined by Sandy Seidel (Robert Seidel’s mother) and other committee members, Julie asked the Town to allow a new monument to be placed in Thurmont’s Memorial Park. Gaining the Town’s official approval in early September 2025, the committee started raising money. The committee had less than 12 months to raise just under $72,000 for the monument and the concrete base.
The first donations started the night of the Town’s approval from two of the sitting commissioners. The Acacia Lodge No. 155, A.F. & A.M. (the Thurmont Masons) stepped up with a $20,000 donation; they, more than anyone, brought the monument into reality with that donation. And the donations continued—from private citizens, from AMVETS and American Legions and auxiliaries across the state, and from other organizations. The donations came in all shapes and sizes: the concrete for the base was donated by TBH Concrete (Frederick); the inspections were donated by Specialized Engineering (Frederick); Digging & Rigging (Thurmont) donated crane services for the installation; 50/50s were held; a Christmas Extravaganza netted over $2,500; t-shirts were sold. Julie El-Taher learned more than she ever wanted to know about general contracting as she managed all the moving parts. The mayor, the commissioners, the Parks Commission, and Town Administrator Jim Humerick were a constant support.
In the end, a cool, rain-spitting evening in September was the biggest reward of all—16 Gold Star Families attended. One mother lost her daughter in May 2026 and drove from Richmond, Virginia, to say her daughter’s name, to place her yellow rose at the base of the monument, and to find solace with the other Gold Star Families in the way only a shared experience can deliver.
The four-panel black granite monument shows the silhouette of a soldier; that soldier is positioned to allow the evening sun to shine through, casting a long shadow on the ground. But that silhouette is also a reminder of the empty space left in the families, an empty space no longer occupied by their lost loved one. The panels represent Homeland (with a picture of Thurmont’s main street); Family; Patriot; and Sacrifice. On the back, a large gold star faces the street.
Thurmont now has (as the black granite bench says): A place to remember … a promise never to forget (both those who lost their lives in the service to our country and their families).
