Charleston, OR. — Charleston’s fishing community will gather Memorial Day morning for one of its most enduring traditions as the Charleston Fishing Families Association hosts the annual Blessing of the Fleet and Memorial Service on Monday, May 25, 2026.
Beginning at 10 a.m. at the Charleston Fishermen’s Memorial Garden near the Charleston Marina launch ramp, the ceremony honors the fishermen, fishing families and maritime workers who dedicated their lives to the sea and to Charleston’s commercial fishing heritage.
The annual event serves as both a remembrance and a celebration of a working waterfront culture deeply tied to Oregon’s South Coast. Families, friends and community members are invited to reflect on the sacrifices made by those in the fishing industry, while also honoring all U.S. military veterans. The United States Coast Guard Honor Guard will present the colors during the ceremony.
This year, organizers noted there were no new Charleston fishermen lost at sea, but additional names will be permanently added to the memorial plaques recognizing those remembered by loved ones and those who served the broader fishing industry.
Names added “In Memory” include Bruce Frederick Anderson, Bruce A. Brubee, Donald E. Drumm, Jeff Fletcher, Michael Hague, Scott “Bunky” Huckabay, Myron A. Kragnes, Rick Edward Miller, Dan “Curley” Mills, Kay Ellen Pace, Danny Eugene Perez and Wade Patrick Taylor.
Names added under “Fishing Industry” include Thomas Charles Burcell, Fred Hight and Elva M. Warnock.
Following the ceremony, attendees are invited to continue gathering for coffee and cake at the Charleston Fishing Families office across from the Coast Guard Station on Crossline Road.
For Charleston, the Blessing of the Fleet remains a solemn reminder of the dangers of commercial fishing, the strength of coastal families and the generations who built their lives on the Pacific.
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