Simsbury Veteran Whose Remains Haven't Been Claimed To Be Honored

Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs

SIMSBURY/MIDDLETOWN, CT — A fallen Simsbury veteran whose remains have not been claimed will be honored with two other Connecticut heroes on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

According to the state DVA, Specialist Richard Robert Thurston, a U.S. Army veteran serving from 1964-67 from Simsbury, died in 2022 at the age of 79. Sadly, no one has stepped forward to claim his remains.

So on Wednesday, Oct. 16, the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs and the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association will host a military funeral ceremony for three such veterans, including Thurston.

The public is invited to attend the 10:30 a.m. ceremony (rain or shine) at the State Veterans Cemetery at 317 Bow Lane in Middletown.

DVA Commissioner Brigadier General (Ret.) Ron Welch will lead the ceremony, which will be supported by funeral directors from several funeral Homes across the state, the Connecticut National Guard, and the Connecticut Patriot Guard Riders.

In attendance will be state, local, and federal officials, and leaders of many Veterans organizations.

Welch, CFDA President Lionel J. Lessard, Jr., and other dignitaries will deliver remarks during the ceremony, which will include the posthumous presentation of Connecticut Wartime Service Medals.

At 9:40 a.m., the Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut Patriot Guard Riders will escort CFDA hearses containing the cremains from the CT Veterans Affairs Rocky Hill Campus to the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown.

This will be the 10th such ceremony hosted by Connecticut Veterans Affairs in coordination with the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association.