Posted on 05/19/2026 5:46:30 AM PDT by DFG
An incredible outpouring of love and respect as hundreds of strangers filled St. Joseph the Worker Church in Hanson to bid farewell to World War II U.S. Navy veteran John Bernard Arnold III.
A veteran group put out the call for the public to attend the funeral to help honor Arnold, an East Bridgewater man who had no known family.
"When the veterans service officer from Hanson put out the call that he had outlived everyone, he didn't even imagine this level of support. It's just fantastic," said Dr. Andrea Gayle-Bennett, the deputy secretary for the Executive Office of Veteran Services.
The 98-year-old of East Bridgewater passed away earlier this month. His mom died when he was six years old, and his father passed away when Arnold was in his twenties. Arnold never married and had no children.
State and local police alongside fire departments, EMT, state officials, veterans, and residents from all over took up the call, gathering at the memorial where there was no eulogy. Arnold had actually planned his own funeral over ten years ago, ensuring that there were a few brief remarks and that everyone knew he was a man of deep faith and loved his country.
While Arnold had no remaining blood family, he spent much of his later years at the Garrison Veterans Home, which soon became his new family.
"He walked into the room and he lit up the room. No matter what you are going through, he always knew how to bring a smile, make you laugh," said Hailey Munroe, who looked after Arnold at the Garrison Veterans Home.
She explained that Arnold made her feel empowered to work and that he was a sweet soul.
She said he loved classical music, chocolate cake, and making people laugh.
"He would've been overjoyed with everybody here," one Garrison employee explained.
"He was a very giving, appreciative, respectful, just all over a very great man," said Alyssa Murphy, who also worked at the Garrison Home.
His casket was taken to the Cedar Knoll Cemetery in Taunton, where people stood at attention to give the veteran the goodbye he deserved.
"He deserves this kind of sendoff," said one funeral attendee.
"What better way to honor his service, honor his life and honor his legacy than to show up and give him his final salute," Dr. Andrea Gayle-Bennet said.
"This is beautiful. He would've loved this," Munroe explained.
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
That’s great but they should have showed-up for him when he was alive!
We have a veterans cemetery nearby and whenever a vet with no family is interred, lots of people come out. Still good in the world even if rare.
They may have. But Mr. Arnold was 98. Folks who live that long often see most, if not all, family and friends predecease them.
The people who turned out for his funeral honored his life and his service.
That was a kind thing to do.
Yeah, and now he’ll never get to see all the social media pics and videos posted by virtue-signaling narcissists.
Never married, no children...sometimes you are the only one left
I live about 30 minutes away.I wish I had known about this...I certainly would have attended.
*Blurry Screen Alert*
I’m reminded of when my friend, last survivor of the USS Arizona Lou Conter died two years ago and was buried in the small town of Grass Valley, CA. He didn’t lack for family and friends who turned out in force, but also citizens lined the streets between the church and cemetery. The schools were let out and the students walked to the cemetery. It’s a beautiful thing when “the thanks of a grateful nation” shows up to show their gratitude
RIP
nice to hear he got that great sendoff
https://www.leightonmackinnon.com/obituaries/john-arnold-iii
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/300276551/john_bernard-arnold
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51904595/john_b-arnold
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/300314996/hannah-arnold
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
