Local News
The veteran, who fought in World War II with the U.S. Navy, died May 6 at age 98 in the Garrison Home for Veterans.
John Bernard Arnold III died May 6 at age 98. Courtesy/Terrence O’Keeffe
More than 1,500 people came together Monday to pay tribute to a local World War II veteran who died earlier this month and had no known family members left.
John Bernard Arnold III, of East Bridgewater, passed away May 6 at age 98. As a former member of the U.S. Navy, he was living at the Garrison Home for Veterans.
Shortly after Arnold’s passing, Terrence O’Keeffe, an officer for Hanover/Hanson Veteran Services, received a call from his caretaker. O’Keeffe learned that Arnold had no known living family members left and wanted to ensure the veteran received the sendoff he deserved.
With the help of Hanson’s police and fire departments, the town’s Department of Public Works, and several fellow veteran service officers, O’Keeffe made it happen. A simple Facebook post became a call to action that “went across the country, as far as California,” O’Keeffe told Boston.com.
Even before Arnold’s funeral, O’Keeffe knew the community’s response was something special. But on Monday morning, the group waiting at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church was beyond anything he could have hoped for.
“The line went around the corner and down the street,” O’Keeffe said. “We had max capacity at the church.”
Funeral service workers later told him that the tribute to Arnold’s life attracted a crowd of around 1,500 people. It wasn’t just locals, either; O’Keeffe recalled a group of bikers who said they had come all the way from Long Island.
After the funeral Mass, Arnold was brought to his final resting place at Cedar Knoll Cemetery in Taunton. O’Keeffe and veteran service officers Christopher Buckley, Christine Callahan, and Declan Ware were among those who served as pallbearers and carried Arnold to rest.
“The world responded, and it was incredible,” O’Keeffe said.
Pallbearers carry Arnold to his final resting place. – Courtesy/Terrence O’Keeffe
In a Facebook post following Arnold’s funeral, O’Keeffe shared a picture of roses that someone had placed on the casket. The flowers, he said, symbolized “what today’s effort was all about.”
“We celebrated a man that we did not know, and yet, touched so many lives,” O’Keeffe wrote in the post. “Today we brought a Veteran the love and support he more than deserved. By all accounts, he was a wonderful human being and we made sure his spirit felt our presence.”
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