Those who served during WWII are quickly leaving the scene. As they get older, the numbers thin and when a funeral for one of those individuals takes place, it becomes a newsworthy event.
Jeremiah Joseph “Jerry” O’Keefe III was a soldier during WWII and was decorated as a fighter pilot ace. He and his 13 children were well known and liked within the community.
On August 23, Jerry passed away. He was 93 years old. Many veterans and loved ones attended the funeral but it was the act of respect by a complete stranger that has everyone talking.
While the funeral procession was on its way to the cemetery, the family saw a little boy standing by the roadside. He was barefoot, in the pouring rain and he had his hand over his heart.
Although the boy did not know O’Keefe, he did know of his legacy. The young lad had waited 30 minutes in the rain for them to pass.
The family took a picture and uploaded it to Facebook. They were asking if anyone knew who he was and the post went viral.
You can see what happened in the images below:
Jeremiah Joseph “Jerry” O’Keefe III was a decorated pilot from WWII. He served in the government after getting out of the armed forces.
He and his wife had 13 children. They had a love of southern cooking and even published a family cookbook.
His wife died in 1998 and he remarried. O’Keefe passed away at the age of 93 on August 23.
They had a funeral and many veterans came to pay their respects. They were in uniform, with bagpipes by his grave.
The funeral procession began to take the mourners to the cemetery.
The procession included a horse drawn hearse and while it was on its way, the family saw a young boy along the road. He was barefoot, standing in the rain and holding his hand over his heart.
This unknown child had never met O’Keefe but he did know he was important to the community. He stood in that position for 30 minutes as the procession passed. Someone took the picture.
The photo was uploaded to Facebook to see if anyone could identify the lad. The post went viral.
The lad was identified as 9 year old Kaiden Wade.
He and his father were visiting his sick grandmother. When she told him about the funeral procession, he went out in the rain to show his respects.
One of O’Keefe’s daughters says the image will be in her memory forever.
She saw her father in Kaiden. “This young fellow was the symbolism for the youth and vitality that was so present in my Dad,” she said.
The lad’s mother says he has always been a kindhearted child who shows respect to others.
The O’Keefe family has invited him to the funeral home to thank him for his act of kindness.
While there, he was gifted with keepsakes and got to see the horse-drawn hearse that was part of the procession.
You can see more in the video below:
Via: Little Things
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