A U.S. Marine Corps veteran died alone less than a week after entering a nursing home in Maine, but hundreds of strangers attended his funeral because his family declined to come forward.
Jerry Brooks died on May 18 at age 86, according to the Associated Press. report.
He seemed so abandoned by those who knew him that the Liposta Funeral Home posted a notice seeking volunteers to carry the casket or simply attend the burial.
The media outlet reported that the funeral home was inundated with requests for volunteer pallbearers and was forced to turn them away “within minutes.”
A bagpiper offered to play at the ceremony, a pilot offered to fly over the area and veterans groups from around the state said they would take part in the farewell party.
The burial took place Thursday at the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Augusta, where hundreds gathered to give a final salute with full military honors.
Patriot Guard Riders, Volunteer Groups that attend Firefighters attending the funeral of a US veteran and emergency worker escorted the hearse 40 miles on motorbikes from the funeral home in Belfast.
Volunteers raised the American flag as members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) fired a 21-gun salute, and a crane hoisted a giant flag at the cemetery’s entrance.
Although little about Brooks’ life was known to those who attended the funeral, its impact was far-reaching.
“It’s an honor for us to be able to do something like this,” said Belfast VFW chapter commander Jim Roberts. “There’s so much negativity out there. This is something that makes people feel good and brings them together. It’s really a wonderful thing.”
Roberts added that Brooks’ son, granddaughter and son-in-law attended the funeral but did not speak at the service.
The VFW is called in when a deceased veteran has no family or the family does not wish to make funeral arrangements.
“We’re always there,” Roberts said.
“It renews your faith in humanity,” funeral director Katie Liposta said.
“He seems like a good person, but I don’t know anything about his life,” she continued, saying a woman contacted the funeral home to say Brooks had taken her in when she had nowhere else to go.
“It doesn’t matter if he served one day in the military or if he made it his career,” Liposta said. “He should be respected and he shouldn’t be alone.”
At least one person in attendance outside of Brooks’ family knew him: Victoria Abbott, executive director of the Bread of Life shelter in Augusta.
She said the veteran came to the soup kitchen every day to eat and always made the staff laugh with his “dad jokes.”
“He was a typical 80-year-old dad, telling jokes every day,” Abbott recalled. “He was just a great guy to have around. He was part of the soup kitchen family.”
