Veterans Turn Out For Final Farewell To One Of Their Own In Brick

BRICK, NJ — It was a simple request: Please come honor a veteran who died, and didn't have more than a few friends to support him.

That simple request, however, generated an overwhelming response, as veterans filled Weatherhead Young Funeral Home in Brick to pay their respects to Edwin Basterl on Thursday morning.

"It was just amazing how many people came," said Hannah Symanski, whose family had been friends with Basterl for 20 years. "I didn't expect that big of a response."

Basterl, 84, died March 29. He didn't have family — his parents had died years earlier — and Symanski felt badly that his funeral would be only her family attending. So she reached out with a plea for others, especially veterans, to come. But she knew the plea, which went out the day before the funeral, might be too late. She quickly learned otherwise Thursday morning.

"I got to the funeral home early to take care of a couple of things and there were already 10 cars in the parking lot," Symanski said. "I was surprised."

By the time the service began at 10:30 a.m., "the whole parking lot was literally full," she said.

Veterans filled the room at Weatherhead Young, paying their respects with a final salute to a man who Symanski said supported various organizations, especially veterans groups.

"He helped a lot of people," Symanski said. "He always helped anyone even a stranger."

Symanski, 24, said her mother, Dawn, got to know Basterl when Symanski was 4 or 5 years old.

"He called my mom his wife," she said, though she pointed out that Basterl was never married. Her children and her sister's children called him Grandpa Ed, a reflection of the closeness they felt.

"He loved to eat," she said. "We always went out to eat with him." He took them to various restaurants to try the food, and Symanski said he even took her and her sister to Atlantic City to see "Avatar" in the IMAX theater there when that movie came out.

In addition to the veterans who came Symanski said Brick Township and Lakewood police officers paid tribute as well.

"My guess is that more than 75 veterans and friends were there including about 25 American Legion Post 129 members," said Mel Russen, a veteran who attended the funeral and reached out to Patch. "Thank you for posting the story yesterday. Shame on us if we forget the service of our veterans."

Symanski said she and her family were overwhelmed by the response.

"He was a great person. We’re glad we were able to honor him so much today," she said. "We’re thankful to everyone who came and who shared his story. We’re just so grateful."

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