Elderly veteran was 'abandoned' by family after demise — then funeral home did something strangers couldn't forget for days

The veteran had been in a nursing home for less than a week before he died and little was known about his life.

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(L) Gravestones in a cemetery for war heroes. (R) A grave with the American Flag wrapped around it. (Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | (L) Tom Fisk; (R) Chris F)

Some incidents showcase the true power of community and kindness. The same thing happened when strangers gathered to give a Marine veteran, Gerry Brooks, a goodbye he deserved after he died alone. Brooks passed away at a nursing home in May 2024 and had no family or friends on his side at that time. He had been in a funeral home for a month and no one had come forward to claim him. But when the funeral home put out a notice, things took a massive turn, per CBS-affiliate WABI TV.

A landscape full of graves. Representative Image Source: Pexels | Pixabay

The then-86-year-old Brooks had been living in a nursing home in Maine for less than a week when he died. He had been diagnosed with brain cancer three weeks before that, per the Kennebec Journal. The funeral home waited for around a month for any family to come forward, but that didn't happen. "No one claimed him or wanted to and it's been over a month, it's not respectful to him to keep him here and it's why we decided to move forward with it," Katie Riposta, the funeral home's director, recounted. Riposta posted an obituary that read, "Gerry R. Brooks, 86 of Augusta, passed away on May 18, 2024, at Glenridge in Augusta."

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He was a veteran of the US Marine Corps who had been abandoned since his passing at the funeral home. "To respectfully lay him to rest, a graveside burial will take place on June 20, 2024, at 12 noon at the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Augusta," per the website. The notice called on people who wanted to attend or be pallbearers to call a given number. Soon enough, so many people answered the call that the funeral home had to turn away quite a few people who wanted to be pallbearers at the funeral, per The Guardian. A bagpiper offered to play at the service, a pilot offered a flyover and several military groups got ready for a proper send-off. Most of these people knew little about Brooks apart from his name, but were glad to be a part of it.

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Brooks was given a proper military send-off at the Maine Veterans' Memorial cemetery in Augusta. Patriot Guard Riders on bikes traveled with the hearse from the funeral home to the cemetery. Also, he received the 21-gun salute and many people held American flags all around during the ceremony. "It's an honor for us to be able to do this. There's so much negativity in the world. This is something people can feel good about and rally around. It's just absolutely wonderful," Jim Roberts, commander of the VFW post in Belfast, remarked. Not much is known about the Marine Corps Veteran's life apart from the fact that he was widowed and had been in the nursing home for around a week.

"It sounds like he was a good person, but I know nothing about his life," Riposta pointed out. "It doesn't matter if he served one day or made the military his career. He still deserves to be respected and not alone." Many Marine veterans in the service were honored to be there, even though they didn't know Brooks, per WABI. Maine Veterans Project helped organize the service for him. The Maine Bureau of Veterans' Service also posted on Facebook, "An incredible display of honor and respect! —Thank you to all who attended today's burial as we laid to rest Gerry R. Brooks, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of Augusta."