HOLYOKE — The St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke has named James M. Lavelle as the 2025 Grand Marshal, the highest local honor given to a person who has distinguished themselves as a loyal person to their career, their family and to their Irish ancestry.
According to Lavelle, his reaction to finding out he would be receiving the honor was one of “great surprise.”
“I haven’t been a member of the committee and I’m in awe of the great work that committee and all its members and volunteers do, so it was really a humbling experience,” Lavelle told Reminder Publishing.
Lavelle and his wife Elizabeth are the proud parents of four grown children: Hugh, Grace, Owen and John. Son of the late Bernard and Mary Lavelle, James is a Holyoke native where he and his eight siblings grew up in the Oakdale neighborhood.
The Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade and the community’s proud Irish ancestry runs deep with the Lavelle family, as James’ father was a very active member of the St. Patrick’s Committee, including also being named Grand Marshal in 1988. James’ daughter, Grace, was a member of the Grand Colleen Court in 2016.
“Holyoke has such strong Irish roots, and my family was part of that. My dad was first generation Irish American, and my mom was second generation, so we’ve always been very close to our Irish roots,” Lavelle said. “We were always really plugged into the Irish heritage element and really used the parades and all the activities. It was just a great way for us to celebrate our heritage and our faith.”
Lavelle remembers being a young boy and experiencing the parade and celebrations with his family over the years.
“One of the more vivid memories I have is my dad was so involved with the parade and organizing activities so he was already there and my mom, with nine kids at home, would be parading us all around and make sure that we got there,” Lavelle said with a laugh. “I remember one year she took us all in tow and I just remember the skies opening up with a thunderstorm and all of us sprinting back and my mom making sure all nine of us got back home safely. It was cool.”
Now being named grand marshal himself, Lavelle has also begun to reflect on three generations of his family involved with the parade festivities. He said while there is still time to soak it all in before the parade next March, he has already been thinking about the community element of what has made the St. Patrick’s Parade in Holyoke such a celebrated cultural event all his life.
“The work that the committee does is just remarkable and to be recognized by them at any level is such a huge honor,” Lavelle added. “They produce a world class parade. Same thing with the road race and the other events. Every year there is such a huge cost of impact for Holyoke and the region, and it seems to get better every year so it’s really just a huge honor.”
Professionally, Lavelle is general manager of Holyoke Gas & Electric and through his leadership, the utility company has implemented innovative projects, such as the acquisition of the Holyoke Dam and Canal system and the development of solar and energy storage, that not only benefits customers and the environment, but have also been recognized through several achievements including the 2021 and 2023 Utility Transformation Leaderboard by the Smart Electric Power Alliance.
A graduate of Holyoke High School, Lavelle then attended the University of Massachusetts where he received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in business administration. Lavelle also serves on a number of boards of professional associations.
Outside of his professional career, Lavelle also enjoys giving back to his community as he has served as a Trustee for HCC, on the Finance Committee of St. Jerome Parish, the Board for the Greater Holyoke YMCA and as a coach for Holyoke Youth Football and Holyoke YMCA basketball.
“I am excited that we are honoring Holyoke native, James Lavelle, as grand marshal,” said Parade President John Beaulieu. “His dedication to his family, his career and his community are well known and I’m grateful to the Grand Marshal’s Selection Committee for choosing him with this most esteemed honor. I look forward to having James Lavelle and his family lead the 72nd Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 23, 2025.”
Lavelle will be honored at the Grand Marshal’s Reception on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. For more details or to purchase tickets to the reception, contact Stephanie Joyce (stef0816@comcast.net.)
The 72nd Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade is scheduled for Sunday, March 23, 2025, and the 48th Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race will take place on Saturday, March 22, 2025. For more information on this year’s celebrations, visit holyokestpatricksparade.com.
Lavelle added the parade is foundational to the city, and to be able to follow his father’s footsteps as a grand marshal with his family, and to follow the footsteps of previous grand marshals makes it even more special this time around.
“It’s quite a list [the list of past grand marshals] so I’m in awe to even be associated with the names on that list and I’m just praying that I can fill the shoes that have been left for me to fill in this role. I’m told that one of my primary roles is to bring good weather, so I’m praying that will be the case,” Lavelle said.
