MANATEE COUNTY, FL (April 26, 2024) – Manatee County Community and Veterans Services will join with the Gardeners Out East Garden Club on Saturday May 4, 2024, at 10 a.m., for the dedication of a Gold Star Memorial at the Lakewood Ranch Library to pay tribute permanently to Gold Star Families whose loved one paid the ultimate price defending the United States of America.
This recognition will be in honor of Patrick L. Lay, II, a 2008 graduate of Braden River High School, who was deployed to Kandahar Province in 2011 with the Army’s 10th Mountain Division. On August 11, 2011, he and four other soldiers were killed when an IED blast destroyed their vehicle.
Lay’s mother, Stefenie Hernandez, will take part in the dedication of the marker, along with Tina Tuttle, President, Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc.; Tammy Parrott, Manatee Library Services Manager; Tiffany Mautino, Lakewood Ranch Library Manager; and Renee Medina, Manatee County Veterans Services Division Manager.
“We are pleased to be able to take part in this tribute,” said Manatee County Commission Chair Mike Rahn. “The permanent memorial at the library will honor Specialist Lay’s ultimate sacrifice.”
The mission of Gold Star Families is to offer honor, hope and healing by remembering fallen heroes and coming together for various events. There are 47 Gold Star Families Memorial Markers throughout the United States. This marker will be the 9th Gold Star Memorial Marker in Florida.