However, when he was laid to rest at Sarasota National Cemetery on Tuesday, October 1, an estimated 2,000 people, mostly strangers, came to honor Pearson, reports Fox 13.
Ed Lyons III, who works for the Sarasota National Cemetery as the assistant director, and is a veteran himself, mentioned how proud he was to see people come out and honor the veteran.
“It tugs at your heart because the things that veterans do for our country, what they sacrifice. You don’t want to think of anyone being alone or laid to rest without anyone being there to honor them,” said Lyons to Fox News.
Early this week, funeral director and Michael Hoyt, also a veteran, posted about the funeral service online, which read “This Veteran has no immediate family all are welcome to attend.”
Eventually, former Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Graham caught wind of the situation and tweeted about it, prompting citizens of Sarasota to attend the funeral.
After Graham shared it, CNN political anchor Jake Tapper shared a similar sentiment on Twitter, leading to the massive attendance numbers.
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This article appears in Oct 2-8, 2019.