A funeral home in Sarasota, Florida, has invited the public to attend the funeral of a veteran who has no immediate family nearby.
According to the Legacy Option llc. Funeral and Cremation Services website, Edward Karl Pearson was a veteran from Naples who passed away on Aug. 31 at the age 80, and did not have any immediate family. Because of his lack of family members, the funeral home decided to invite the members of the public to attend the late veteran’s funeral.
The website stated that the funeral will be held at the Sarasota National Funeral located at 9810 State Road 72 on Oct. 1, at 12:30 p.m..
On the memory wall of the section of the website, numerous people left comments on the event, writing that they hoped that Pearson would be able to rest in peace, and thanked him for all the service he gave our country, according to the website. People from all over the country commented on the wall to give their condolences towards the late veteran. Although most of the comments were similar, several people expressed regret in not being close enough to attend the funeral.
10 News WTSP also reported on the event, and during a broadcast, shared the event in hopes that people would be able to show up to Pearson’s funeral.
“This story breaks our hearts. Legacy Options Funeral and Cremation Services posted the obituary for veteran Edward Pearson to its website. They are asking people to attend Pearson’s funeral because he has no immediate family,” the Facebook post read.
Similarly, there were several comments from people who expressed their condolences and thanked the late veteran for his service. However, there were other comments on the post that said that they would be in attendance at the funeral on Oct. 1.
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Hezekiah Perkins recently died and was slated to be buried at Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio. He had no relatives in the area and his daughter was too sick to travel for the funeral. Then locals stepped up.
The Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum invited the public to attend the funeral on May 24, a day prior to the burial.
“Mr. Perkins prearranged and prepaid his funeral and burial over 20 years, however, all of his family is currently residing out of town. Mr. Perkins’ family has requested that their loved one is buried with Military Honors. Members of our Spring Grove family will act as pallbearers. We are asking any members of our community who are available to attend his burial,” the cemetery stated.
NTD staff writer Zachary Stieber contributed to this article.
