Their final resting places could be marked by precisely laid out, white marble headstones in a veterans cemetery or by granite markers in municipal cemeteries.

In either case, come Saturday, veterans’ graves in two York County cemeteries will be marked with Maine-made evergreen wreaths, trimmed with scarlet ribbons, in public ceremonies.

Southern Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Springvale and the historic South Buxton Cemetery at Tory Hill in Buxton, which dates to 1761, will each host wreath-laying ceremonies, among an estimated 750 taking place nationwide that day, scheduled to coincide with wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery. Wreaths will be laid commemorating each branch of the service, and in these two locations, veterans’ graves will be marked by the fragrant green circlets of evergreen boughs that historically symbolize strength.

A third commemoration will take place at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Saco, where the American Legion will lay ceremonial wreaths at noon.

The ceremonies are part of Wreaths Across America, begun 20 years ago by Harrington wreath manufacturer Morrill Worcester. In 1992 ”“ inspired by a trip he’d won as a 12-year-old Bangor Daily News paper carrier that included a visit to Arlington National Cemetery ”“ Worcester, who had a surplus of wreaths that year, arranged to place them in one of the older sections of the national cemetery. It became an annual event that continued quietly, according to the Wreaths Across America website, until 2005, when the effort earned national attention. Wreaths Across America became a nonprofit agency in 2007.

This year, the procession left Washington County Saturday and made its way through Maine and into New Hampshire Monday. Maine’s First lady Ann LePage is accompanying the convoy.

At Southern Maine Veterans Cemetery in Springvale, the ceremony begins at noon Saturday, said Cindy DeCosta, who organizes the event with her husband, Tim, president of the local Rolling Thunder chapter. This year marks the third such ceremony at the cemetery, built to be the final resting place for veterans and their spouses. Guest speaker will be Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9935 Commander Don Beaupre, DeCosta said.

Wreaths will be laid commemorating all branches of military service, said DeCosta, who had previously participated in Wreaths Across America events at the veterans cemetery in Augusta and at Arlington National Cemetery. It is a community event, with organizations like the Boy Scouts and the color guard from the Massabesic and Sanford Naval Junior ROTC involved, as well as veterans organizations.

“It’s just so emotional for me every year,” she said.

The motto of Wreaths Across America, she said, is “remember, honor, teach.” DeCosta said ceremonies like those set for Saturday do just that.

“I can’t think of anything that upholds that (sentiment) more than this,” DeCosta said.

The wreaths for veterans’ graves in Springvale and Buxton are made possible through donations from individuals and organizations.

In Buxton, Richard “Sandy” Atkinson and Chad Poitras, both of the South Buxton Cemetery Association, arrange the Wreaths Across America memorial, which has grown annually since the first ceremony six years ago. In 2011, more than 150 people turned out for the ceremony, said Atkinson.

Not only are there revolutionary war veterans buried here, but the South Buxton Cemetery is just steps away from Tory Hill corner, where, in 1812, soldiers mustered to march to Saco and then off      to war.

The ceremony this year begins at 11:45 a.m., and the guest speaker is a veteran and local dentist, Dr. Demitroula Kouzounas.

The ceremony is moving, said Atkinson, recalling a past ceremony where one World War II veteran laid a memorial wreath symbolizing his branch of service, turned and headed back to the assembly, his face awash in tears.

“He said, ”˜It’s great that someone remembers,’” Atkinson recalled.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, Ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.