When Dale Quick died earlier this month and left no known survivors, a Nebraska funeral home appealed to his community to make sure he got the funeral he deserved.
“We are appealing to any and all veterans, veterans’ clubs and organizations and our community to attend Dale’s service to honor an individual who so selflessly served our country,” Roper & Sons Funeral Homewrote in an obituary posted to its website.
The 91-year-old “led a simple life” after serving in the military for nearly seven years, the funeral home said.
CNN’s Jake Tapper also took to social media to spread the word.
The community heard the call.
On Monday morning, hundreds showed up to pay their respects to Quick, including 50 bikers and flag carriers who led his casket, CNN affiliate KLKN reported.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Sen. Ben Sasse were also there.
“I think what it shows is that Lincoln is a very caring community and they want to honor our veterans and even for someone they don’t know like Dale Quick, to come and pay their last respects, to say that we appreciate the men and women who put on that uniform, and we want to show our respect,” Ricketts told the affiliate.
The veteran didn’t talk much about his service, said Barb Dethlefs who had been taking care of Quick for the past years in a hospice community care home.
“He did tell me that he didn’t like me to touch his feet because he got frost bit sitting in a fox hole,” she toldKLKN.
Quick was a cheerful man, Dethlefs added, who was never “mean or angry.”
“He always had a laugh for you. It didn’t matter what you were talking about, he always had something to say.”
Quick was buried with full military honors.
