A U.S. Marine veteran died alone less than a week after entering a Maine nursing home, but hundreds of strangers attended his funeral after no family was willing to step forward.
Gerry Brooks passed away at the age of 86 on May 18, the Associated Press reported.
As he seemed to have been abandoned by those who knew him, Riposta Funeral Home posted a notice asking for volunteers to serve as pallbearers or simply attend the burial.
The funeral home had to turn away pallbearer volunteers “within minutes” after being inundated with requests, according to the outlet.
A bagpiper volunteered to play at the service, while a pilot offered to do a flyover, and veteran groups from around the state said they would also participate in the sendoff.
The burial took place on Thursday, with hundreds of people coming to participate in a final salute with full military honors at the Maine Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Augusta.
Patriot Guard Riders, a volunteer organization that attends the funerals of U.S. veterans and first responders, escorted the hearse for 40 miles from the Belfast funeral home on motorcycles.
Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) organization performed a 21-gun salute as volunteers held American flags and a crane lifted a giant flag at the entrance of the cemetery.
While not much about Brooks’ life was known to those who attended his funeral, the impact of the service was far-reaching.
“It’s an honor for us to be able to do this,” said Jim Roberts, commander of the Belfast VFW post. “There’s so much negativity in the world. This is something people can feel good about and rally around. It’s just absolutely wonderful.”
Roberts added that Brooks’ son, granddaughter, and son-in-law attended the funeral but did not speak at the service.
The VFW is called up when a deceased veteran does not have family or his/her family is unwilling to make funeral arrangements.
“We will always be there,” Roberts said.
“It renews your faith in humanity,” Katie Riposta, the funeral director, said.
“It sounds like he was a good person, but I know nothing about his life,” she continued, saying that a woman contacted the funeral home to say that Brooks’ had taken her in when she had nowhere else to go.
“It doesn’t matter if he served one day or made the military his career,” Riposta said. “He still deserves to be respected and not alone.”
At least one person in attendance besides Brooks’ relatives did know him — Victoria Abbott, executive director of the Bread of Life shelter in Augusta.
She said the veteran came in every day to eat at their soup kitchen and always made the staff smile with his “dad jokes.”
“Your quintessential 80-year-old, dad jokes every day,” Abbott recalled. “He was really great to have around. He was part of the soup kitchen family.”