War veteran Eugene Dednam passed away at 100 years old. And while he is a celebrated hero, the man had no one to attend his funeral.
At his age, the man had outlived his immediate family and so, at his funeral, no one was there to attend and mourn him. His neighbor, Deshaune Hicks, shared how the elderly man would do everything by himself.
Eugene lived alone and never relied on other people.
The late war hero had no siblings and he never married. And even until the time that he was considered to be a centennial man, Eugene still was highly independent and never relied on others for his daily living.
When he passed away, his body lay unclaimed at the funeral home. But, when funeral director Brian Warner and county officials discovered that Eugene had served in the military, they decided to give him a military burial free of charge.
The war hero deserved to be recognized.
“He was very proud to serve, and he emphasized to me when he passes away that he wanted to be buried in his uniform,” Deshaune told CBS2.
Brian was happy to be able to pay tribute to the war veteran who had dedicated his life to the nation.
“It’s just, for me, it’s a small expression of appreciation to a generation that’s almost gone,” he shared.
At 21 years old, Eugene had already joined the army and served the nation.
He served in a segregated unit in the European Theatre of War, transporting other soldiers from battle to battle.
“He was right there from the beginning to the end. He went across the English Channel into Normandy. He was there until the end, ’til we won the war,” explained Shaun Hutchinson, who’s the acting director of Veterans Services for Bergen County.
And on the day of Eugene’s funeral, complete strangers gathered to pay tribute to him.
More than a hundred strangers met and attended Eugene’s funeral. The crowd consisted of veterans and law enforcement officers who led a procession in George Washington Memorial Park Cemetery in Paramus where they eventually laid the war hero in his final resting place.
“He would be honored, he would be honored, that this has happened for him,” Deshaune told CBS2.
Yes, Eugene had no immediate family, but this was not a reason for him to be deprived of the honor and recognition that was due to him. His service and love for the nation had been proven for many years.
The people who attended Eugene’s funeral gave him a send-off that he truly was deserving of. It was a moment that these people will never forget, the same way that they will also keep Eugene in their hearts.
They may be strangers, but they all believe that Eugene is a man of honor, and so that’s what they gave him at his final resting place.
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