Blake Hall
Over 1,000 people in the Indianapolis area turned out for the quiet funeral honoring Marine Cpl. Billy Aldridge, a military veteran with no surviving family.
The 80 year-old Marine passed away last month after living in a nursing home for ten years. During his military service, Aldridge served as a supply man and was stationed in Okinawa for two years. He was honorably discharged so he could take care of his aging mother in Indiana. After his mother died in 1997, Aldridge lived alone before moving to the nursing home in 2004.
When his remains were given to Legacy Cremation and Funeral Service, the staff decided to give Aldridge a sendoff deserving of a military veteran. They contacted the Greenfield Veterans Honor Guard and spread the word that a veteran with no family was being laid to rest.
When Aldridge’s funeral commenced in Lawrence United Methodist Church, there was standing room only as hundreds packed themselves in the church and bowed their heads in reverence.
Nearly everything at the ceremony, from Aldridge’s casket to his police escort, was donated.
Retired Navy Chaplain Rev. Ron May delivered the funeral service and thanked the larger community for supporting Aldridge.
“While we do not have the circle of family and friends around Billy Aldridge today, we have a community of veterans, a community of supporters of our veterans that come to say you do not die to yourself alone,” he said.