Public invited to funeral for Florida veteran who died with no family

Naples veteran Edward K. Pearson passed away on Aug. 31 at 80 years old. But with no immediate family, there were no mourners expected at his funeral. Now, the public has been invited to attend.

Former Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Graham took to Twitter Sunday and made her call to action, asking all Sarasota residents to attend. “Mr. Edward K. Pearson served our country. He has no family to attend his funeral. We can be his family,” said Graham.

In support, CNN political anchor Jake Tapper retweeted Graham’s call, which soon went viral, garnering over 3,100 retweets.

Service will be held Tuesday, Oct. 1, 12:30 p.m. at the Sarasota National Cemetery.

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This article appears in Fall Arts Guide 2019.