Internet Rallies To Give WWII Veteran Proper Send Off

YORKTOWN, NY — A World War II veteran who died April 12 and has no family is likely to get a proper sendoff thanks to people on the internet who never met the man.

The funeral for Robert J. Graham, 97, will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, April 26 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, 1377 East Main St. in Shrub Oak.

Graham's wife Rosie died in 2017 and his only son died years earlier, meetamerica.com said.

Beth Regan, a 27-year-old who befriended Graham while volunteering at his nursing home, turned to social media to get the word out about his passing, WRAL.com said.

And it really picked up, so much so that it's likely his funeral will be SRO.

CNN's Jake Tapper helped spread the word, and so did Marine Raider Challenge on Facebook.

The Town of Yorktown Police Department posted on Facebook Thursday that it will be providing an escort and assisting with traffic for Graham's funeral mass.

"Mr. Graham served his country proudly with the United State Marine Corps in World War II," the post said. "There will also be a 21-gun salute by members of the United States Marine Corps at or about 10:45 a.m. on the grounds of Seton. A proper send off for an American hero."

According to information on Graham's obituary on the Yorktown Funeral Home website, in lieu of flowers, donations to St. Jude's Children's Hospital would be appreciated.