When the 375th Anniversary Parade steps off on Sept. 27, Lasher - now one of the town's oldest residents - will march as the parade marshal.
Lasher's Wethersfield roots run deep. Born June 26, 1919, he has been a resident of Griswoldville for 50 years, and in his 90 years has never lived outside a three mile radius of that section of town, according to his biography on the town web site. In 1995, he was officially recognized as the Honorary Mayor of Griswoldville.
He graduated from Wethersfield High School in 1937 and attended Morse College until 1939. He has since attended City College in New York City, Trinity College, and Central Connecticut State University. In 1942, he married Gene Pratt, and this month they will celebrate their 67th anniversary. Together they have four children, nine grandchildren, and one great grandchild.
Lasher volunteered for the U.S. Coast Guard in 1942 and served three years in New York City as an investigator for the Coast Guard Intelligence. Afterward, he began his business career as an assistant office manager for the Firestone Tire Co. He then worked in the purchasing department for Colt's Firearms, and was a sales manager for Plimpton & Hills Corp. before he opened his own wholesale distribution company in 1954. In 1984, he retired at the age of 65 from Lasher Supply Company Inc.
He's always been involved in public service over the years. He volunteered for 10 years at the State Veterans' Hospital in Rocky Hill and has spent over two thirds of his life as a member of not only the Bourne Keeney Post - American Legion and the First Church of Christ in Wethersfield, but also the Silas Deane Masonic Lodge and the Griswoldville Chapel. He's also been a member of the Sphinx Shrine for 25 years.
In addition, Lasher has been a justice of the peace in town and for the past 16 years he has marched in the Memorial Day parade.
The parade starts at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27, and is expected to last about two hours, as it winds through historic Old Wethersfield. The rain date is Sunday, Oct. 4.
The parade committee is looking for volunteers for jobs such as parking lot traffic managers, T-shirt booth attendants, parade assistants, banner carriers in the parade itself, etc.
For more information, Call Art Hutchinson at (860) 563-5801, Larry Spellacy at (860) 529-7135, or visit the town's Web site http://wethersfieldct.org and click on the parade link.