When the 2015 Throggs Neck St. Patrick’s Day parade steps off in March, many of the families of the 24 posthumously honored grand marshals will march in remembrance of their loved ones.
As is the case every year at the annual event, families and friends of recently deceased honorary grand marshals will be participating in the parade, which steps off at noon on Sunday, March 15 at East Tremont and Lafayette avenues. The parade marches along East Tremont Avenue to Harding Avenue, where there should be a reviewing stand.
The parade’s grand marshals have already been named as Agnes and Patrick Lynch of Throggs Neck, with honored clergy Msgr. John Graham, the pastor of St. Raymond Church in Parkchester.
The honorary grand marshals this year are deceased community members Laura Casey D’Attore, Mary Finnegan, John ‘Onions’ Gregory, John Halpin, Bill Heaney, Thomas Hines, John ‘Jack’ Hepburn, Jerry Macchia, Dan Maloney, Donald McDonnell, Ron McKeegan, Edward O’Connor, Michael ‘Mick’ O’Donnell, Maurice ‘Mickey’ Powers, Councilwoman Madeline Provenzano, John Scully, Grace Sullivan, Kitty Tarsnane, Martin Tighe, Bill Twomey, Cornelius Wallace, Eileen Walpole and Robert Zeiss.
“Our 2015 grand marshals, honored clergy member and honorary grand marshals represent community service, spiritual dedication and Bronx Irish pride, and we are very proud to have them lead the 2015 Throggs Neck St. Patrick’s Day Parade,” stated the parade committee, which is made up of volunteers.
One of the honorary grand marshals should be a familiar name to long-time Bronx Times Reporter readers: Bill Twomey, the paper’s history columnist since 1983 and a notable east Bronx historian.
His columns on local borough history are still being printed in every week in the Bronx Times because they are as relevant as ever. He is the author of several books, including ‘The Bronx in Bits and Pieces,’ as well as several selections on borough communities that are part of the ‘Images of America’ series.
Along with many other honorary grand marshal families, the Twomeys will be marching in the parade, and they are going to be wearing a pin featuring a photo of Bill and a green border in honor of the Irish culture and St. Patrick’s Day, said his wife Carol Twomey.
She added that his extended family, including nieces and nephews, will be marching.
Other families sometimes march with banners commemorating the various honorary grand marshals.
Her husband was the emcee of the parade for many years, and was a grand marshal in 2007, she said. The honor has a great deal of meaning to her and her family, she added.
“It meant a lot to me because Bill really enjoyed and looked forward to this parade every year,” said Carol, who added that her husband eagerly took part in different aspects of the festivities, including the pre-parade Mass, communion and breakfast for the marchers at St. Benedict’s Church.
She added: “Bill enjoyed being with people in Throggs Neck and the Bronx that he loved.”
She said that marching in remembrance of her husband of 33 years, a person who is irreplaceable to her, is not easy, but that the family would not miss this event because it meant so much to her late-husband.
