By Derrick ForsytheRecord Staff WriterIt was an emotional and rewarding day for Curt Kehoe, even though he wasn’t one of the individuals being honored during Saturday’s flag retirement ceremony at Diekroeger Park.Check out the photo gallery from the event here: http://bit.ly/1FPkXjHThe Wright City parks director was reminded of the camaraderie of the community and how much its citizens care about its parks and each other.As part of the annual ceremony, a special dedication was made in honor of Billy Twiehaus, a longtime former volunteer of the parks department and neighbor to Kehoe. A tree was planted in memory of the Wright City resident, who was instrumental in the development of the parks system prior to his passing in 2013.“My dad was always wanting to help out with the parks so the kids had somewhere to go play ball,” said Twiehaus’ daughter, Kim Turner. “He did a lot of work at Ruge Park to get it started.”The memorial, which included a circular brick wall, was designed and built by recent Wright City graduate Luke Bruning as the final step in earning his Eagle Scout badge.“I knew about how much Billy had done for the parks department and the city,” said Bruning. “When Curt said they were thinking about doing something in his memory, I told him I wanted to plant a tree in honor of him.”Kehoe says Twiehaus worked tirelessly for the benefit of area youth, putting his construction and concrete background to use in developing area parks.“His main focus was making sure the kids had positive things to do, and that was important to the community,” said Kehoe.Twiehaus was responsible for building the picnic tables and drainage systems at Ruge Park, which provides baseball and basketball facilities for the community.“When they reconstituted the park board, Billy was one of the first people they went to, because he had been on the board before and had done so much work for the city,” said Kehoe. “He was always looking out for the interest of the kids.”Like Twiehaus, the Bruning family has become a fixture in the betterment of Wright City’s parks.Luke is the third among his brothers to earn his Eagle Scout badge, with each focusing their project on beautification of the city.“My two older brothers earned their Eagle Scout badge, so it was something I wanted to achieve too,” said Bruning. “It’s cool that all three of us have gotten it, and I’m hoping my two younger brothers achieve that too.”Stuart Bruning built the benches in front of city hall. The eldest Bruning, Scott, developed the idea for a memorial garden at Diekroeger Park that could be used for disposing of the ashes from the flag retirement ceremony.On Saturday, the garden became the final resting place for the remains of approximately 500 flags that were retired by fire during a ceremony that included participation by Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Eagle Scouts and members of the Big Creek 4-H Club.Patriotic music was played as members of each organization explained the significance of the flag and the importance of a proper disposal. The flags were cut according to custom and placed into the fire piece by piece.“This ceremony really means a lot to the people involved, and it teaches the youth the importance of handling with the flag with respect,” said Kehoe.“It was a great to event to be able to dedicate the tree in Billy’s honor and see Luke join his older brothers in becoming an Eagle Scout.”A tree planted in memory of Billy Twiehuas, a Wright City resident who donated much of his time to the parks and recreation department before his passing, was dedicated during the flag retirement at Diekroeger Park on Saturday, June 6. Luke Bruning, a recent graduate of Wright City, earned his Eagle Scout badge through completion of the project. Pictured, from left, are Mike Turner, son-in-law; Kim Turner, daughter; Amanda Turner, grandaughter; Opal Twiehaus, widow; and Bruning. Derrick Forsythe photo.
