For some, Memorial Day means a 3-day weekend filled with barbecues and lounging poolside with family and friends. For others, it is a somber day of remembrance for veterans, friends and family who have died.
Across the country, families and individuals ventured to cemeteries—some sporting masks as mandated in Los Angeles County—to pay their respects. For Matt Masuda, 50, his Memorial Day tradition has been altered by the ongoing pandemic.
“Usually my mom likes to come but she is old and she doesn’t want to go out. So I’m doing it for the whole family this year,” Masuda said. “I think it has more meaning when the whole family comes out rather than just myself. It’s different.”
Masuda took photos of the flowers he placed before the headstone dedicated to his grandparents and 3 uncles at Sunnyside Cemetery in Long Beach to send to his mom and other family members.
Many cemeteries, including All Souls Cemetery in Long Beach, have been keeping minimal hours due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but they were open all day in honor of Memorial Day.
Margaret Tyler, 60, visited her brother, parents and grandparents at All Souls Monday and said it is “ridiculous” for cemeteries to continue with limited hours while parks and other recreational areas are now open. She said she has already missed the 1-year anniversary of her mother’s death, which was in April, and her father’s birthday last week.
Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, can be traced back to the years following the Civil War. It was declared a federal holiday in 1971.







