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Funeral help for impoverished vet.

I.B. Washincars

I.B. Washincars

Car Washer Emeritus
Hey everyone, my fiance has an uncle whose time is just about up. With the exception of a sister in another state, he has no immediate family left. Mary lives close by and cares for him as much as she can, but she has her limits, both physical and financial. He lives in govt. housing off of his SS check and has no assets. She has checked with funeral homes about programs that would pay for his burial, but has had no luck. Does anyone know of any programs or avenues she could try to get him a proper burial?
 
Missouri has several state veteran cemeteries. Burial and grave marker are free. They also burial niches (sp?) for cremated remains. Cremation should be the least expensive way to accomplish the burial. Here is a link to a local newspaper story where a veteran, with no known family, was buried at the cemetery. http://www.dailystatesman.com/story/1455140.html
The local American Legion Post provides Honor Guard to all of the burial services at the cemetery.

JPRB
 
Pat, I don't know of any programs but if you will send my your address I would certainly contribute to help give him a proper burial.
We owe our all our veterans more than we can ever repay.
 
I was looking back at some old threads I had started and came upon this one. I figured I would post a humorous update.

Much to our amazement, eight years later this guy is still with us. Shortly after his terminal diagnosis, my wife decided she could do something for "Uncle Bob". She bought his headstone and had it placed in the family cemetery, so he would have a place when it was time for him to go. Of course, he didn't go as was expected. A few years later, a friend came to visit him and asked if there was anything he wanted to do or somewhere he wanted to go. He said he would like to go to the cemetery. So, the next day he is showing the friend all the relatives resting places and stumbled upon his own, of which he was not aware. Needless to say, he was pretty shocked. He told his friend that he thought he was doing pretty well, but now not so sure. After he realized that he was still alive they had a pretty good laugh, as we all did when we heard.
 
Etowah
If he's got a good sense of humor, move the headstone to a freshly-dug grave and take him by again on April 1st.
 
I have given this eulogy twice for some of my family. It isn't appropriate for all though:
As a guitarist, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper’s cemetery in the back country. As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost.
I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch.
I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn’t know what else to do, so I started to play.
The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I’ve never played before for this homeless man.
And as I played ‘Amazing Grace,’ the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished I packed up my guitar and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full.
As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, “I never seen nothin’ like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”
 
mac said:
I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I’ve never played before for this homeless man.
And as I played ‘Amazing Grace,’ the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished I packed up my guitar and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full.
Click to expand...

Great story Mac. I also have a true story of a very prominent in his area (my uncle Bob's) who at his funeral ... a Native American ... held us somewhat breathless as he told of his long term friendship with my uncle Bob & with a flute made out of wood from a torn down building ... & then proceeded to play an appropriate musical rendition tribute to Bob's life from that same flute!

http://www.naotw.biz/directory/native-american-arts/performing/music/keith-bear
 
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