Memorial Day parade is last for Mr. Dearborn and his dog

It couldn’t have been a better day in Dearborn for the city’s annual Memorial Day parade in collaboration with the Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council. The sky was bright blue and morning temperatures were comfortable.

The not-too-hot temperatures and clear sky were a good sign for Rich Margittay and Cheyenne, his 12-year-old Alaskan Malamute dog, along with friend and helper Garret Wasko of Taylor, helping handle and man the 30-caliber Browning machine gun on the back of a Willys jeep.

Margittay climbed behind the wheel of the restored jeep readying for the parade to start. Cheyenne was ready, too, sitting calmly in the passenger seat, as people walked up to pet the well-known Dearborn dog. You can tell Cheyenne's not afraid of the crowd.

“She loves it, she loves the people and they love her,” Margittay said. “She’s posing good for all the cameras. I probably wouldn’t do it without her."

Because of road construction in East Dearborn, this year the parade, Michigan’s oldest, took place in West Dearborn starting near Outer Driver and ending at Brady Street. The theme was Arab Americans who serve.

Air Force Capt. Maysaa M. Ouza, a Dearborn native, was the parade’s grand marshal. Ouza is a victims’ counsel in the Victims’ Counsel Division and is assigned to Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio, according to cityofdearborn.org.

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Since 2004, Margittay has been a part the annual Dearborn Memorial Day parade.

But while this year was no exception, he says it will be his last.

“It’s a lot of lifting,” Margittay said. “I am 78 and I think I’ve done enough. I couldn’t have done it without Garret. The machine gun weighs 50 pounds itself.”

It’s getting harder, too, for Cheyenne, Margittay said.

“She’s getting older, too, and it’s getting harder for her to climb in the jeep,” Margittay said.

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Margittay and Wasko, dressed in fatigues and in the Willys jeep, were first in line to lead off the parade for the second year in a row.

And so, on the sunny Monday, Margittay, drove the jeep a block or two distance ahead of the horse-drawn funeral caisson carrying the cremains of two Vietnam War era veterans. It’s a service that’s been happening at the parade for more than a dozen years.

Margittay, who served in the Army National Guard Infantry Division, said being an escort ahead is to make the sure the crowd is “quiet and respectful," as the caisson makes it way to the parade end where a funeral service will take place.

The veterans' cremains, according to the City of Dearborn, were those of Private First Class Patrick Lee McClain, who passed away Dec. 23, 2017, at the age of 77, and Lance Corporal David Franklin Smith, who passed away Jan. 1, 2023, at the age of 76. The annual remembrance service is part of the Missing in America project and is held for those who were not afforded a final resting place,

Margittay, who retired after 25 years as a Dearborn policeman, has been participating in the parade since 2004 with his various other military jeeps.

The parade is important, Margittay said.

“It’s a remembrance of the veterans and all the people that served … some gave their lives," he said.

And driving the 1949 Willys, once owned by Margittay’s uncle, in the parade is sentimental, he said.

“My uncle had a resort in the Catskills and used it as a working jeep to plow snow and fields on his property,” Margittay said.

Wasko, who now lives in Taylor, met Margittay while walking Tucker, his St. Bernard dog, in Dearborn.

“I enjoy the happiness and helping Rich,” Wasko said. “It’s exciting to take part and help where I can.”

Wasko’s wife, Amy, also helps. This year she did all the decal lettering and numbering for the jeep.

Being Margittay’s helper, especially manning and tending to the 30-caliber Browning gun, also comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility, Wasko said.

“It’s important to me to make sure I do it right,” Wasko said. “I have no military experience and everything is me asking Rich what’s appropriate. He knows everything.“

Wasko said being Margittay’s helper it was important for him to make sure he does it right.

“We both love it,” Amy Wasko said. “He (Garret) takes it very seriously because it means so much to Rich. He’s nervous about it because he did not serve.”

Along the parade route, Garret Wasko said, he was reminded of how many people Margittay knows and who knows him and Cheyenne.

In an April 2022 profile story, the Free Press wrote about Margittay and his dogs, he was described by some as "Mr. Dearborn."

The name, Margittay said, was given to him by a friend who sponsored his induction to the Dearborn Sports Hall of Fame.

For years, Margittay has been known for driving around town during the summertime with dogs Cheyenne and Yukon.

While Cheyenne joined Margittay in last year’s parade, Yukon did not. A month after that parade, 11-year-old Yukon died after cancer was discovered in his hip.

“I am happy he’s let me help,” Wasko said. “We drove the entire way and he knew a lot of people by name, people know him and people know the dog. I am glad to be part of the last ride.”

“It’s a young man’s thing,” Margittay said. “Fortunately, I had a young man with me.”

Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.