Edward Pearson, who served in the U.S. Army, died in August at the age of 80.
Hundreds of strangers turned out for the funeral of a veteran who had no immediate family left.
Edward Pearson, who served in the U.S. Army, died in August at the age of 80. He had no living family at the time of his death so his obituary invited the public to attend his funeral at Sarasota National Cemetery in Florida.
The obituary then went viral.
To many who attended, Pearson was their comrade even though they may not have known him personally.
“I'm a vet, we don't leave anybody behind. He has no family but yes he does,” David Shepherd told WINK.
Another veteran said they wanted to make sure his service didn’t go unrecognized.
“It's just repaying the older generations for their sacrifice,” said Zac Holdscaw.
Pearson was laid to rest with military honors.
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