Staff Writer

When people think of Memorial Day in Old Orchard Beach, they think of Bob McNally.

“It was very important to him this holiday never be considered just another three-day weekend,” said his wife, Eileen, during a ceremony Monday at Memorial Park.

The town’s Memorial Day parade was dedicated to McNally, a veteran and longtime organizer who made the parade one of the largest in the state. He died an hour after the ceremony, said Town Clerk Kim McLaughlin.

Eileen McNally was at the ceremony to accept a Legislative sentiment from Rep. George Hogan on behalf of her husband of 48 years. She said her husband will be “eternally grateful” for the recognition.

“Bob had a passion in his life and that was this parade,” Hogan said. “It’s a wonderful thing he’s done for this community. His love of service and country is well known.”

McNally, a native of Worcester, Mass., was very proud of the fact that he enlisted in the Army at a young age, McLaughlin said. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the 15-year-old headed to Boston, determined to be processed into the Army Air Corps, according to a dedication page in the 2007 annual town report.

McNally went to basic and technical training for his job as an aircraft audio operator, but was only able to keep his secret until he was 16. After telling his mother he volunteered for service overseas, she called military leaders and wrote to the president.

“Bob soon found himself in the commanders’ office eloquently pleading his cause. It must have worked because he was allowed to stay in the Air Corps and on flying status, where he served for more than four years before returning home at age 20,” reads the annual report dedication.

“I am proud of everyone who is in the service. There is nothing more important than serving your country in its time of need,” McNally was quoted as saying in the annual report.

McNally was a member and officer of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7997 and grew the Old Orchard Beach Memorial Day parade to the largest in the state. McLaughlin said McNally also served as a ballot clerk on election day for several years, always lightening the day with jokes.

“It was Bob McNally who made the parade possible. He had an unsurpassed commitment to veterans,” McLaughlin said. “It’s not going to be the same without Bob, but we’re hoping to continue to make him proud.”

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Margaret’s Church in Old Orchard Beach.

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.