More than 1,000 strangers unite at funeral for veteran with no known family

NAPLES, Fla. – Edward Karl Pearson wasn't alone.

No, an amphitheater at the Sarasota National Cemetery was filled Tuesday with strangers paying their respects to the East Naples veteran. Edward Lyons, assistant cemetery director, estimated that more than 1,000 people attended the service.

Cheyanne Ouellette of St. Petersburg said her sister served in the Navy, and Ouellette couldn’t imagine her going without support.

“All I could think was, ‘What if she didn’t have anybody?’” she said. “It just felt like the right thing to do.”

Pearson died Aug. 31. He was 80 years old.

His obituary went viral after it was shared online. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and CNN’s Jake Tapper, as well as the American Legion, tweeted out the details of Pearson’s funeral.

“This Veteran has no immediate family, all are welcome to attend,” the obituary read.

Tampa’s Karla Hampton said her father was a veteran, and attending Pearson’s services felt like a way to honor her dad.

She was among many who waited patiently in traffic that snaked for miles to the cemetery. As they drew closer, some parked on nearby lawns.

Looking at everybody heading to the same destination, Hampton said, brought her to tears.

“How could anyone die alone?” she asked. “It’s overwhelming to see all these people.”

Dominic Shugart traveled from Sarasota to attend the funeral to honor the veterans in her family.

“When I heard somebody didn’t have any family, I thought I should be here,” she said. Like Hampton, seeing everybody heading to Pearson’s funeral made her emotional. “I’ve been crying half the way here.”

As an Army veteran himself, Walt Dessauer escorted Pearson to the Sarasota National Cemetery as part of the American Legion’s Legion Riders.

“I don’t think any veteran should be buried by themselves,” he said.

But the attendance at the funeral?

“I never expected this many people,” he said. “There’s a lot of support for the veterans.”

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It appears not many knew who Pearson was. The Army veteran was a private first class and served from 1962 and 1964. Those who did know him, like Patricia Thrasher, of Golden Gate Estates, knew him to be a kind man.

“He was a sweet old guy. Very nice. Very humble,” she said. “No matter how upset he was, he always had a smile.”

Seeing the obituary go viral surprised Thrasher, and the high interest from across the country exceeded her expectations.

Attendees remained silent during most of the ceremony, with the only sound being the wind billowing the American flag. Then a woman sang the national anthem, and the crowd broke the silence with roaring applause.

As Ouellette looked at the crowd Tuesday she couldn’t stop the tears.

“Beautiful. This is what it’s about,” she said. “It should be like this for all of the veterans.”

Follow Andrew Atkins on Twitter: @andrewjatkins

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Army veteran with no known family draws 1,000 at Florida funeral