The older you get, the more you try to prepare for the eventuality that one day, you won’t be here anymore. You get your final papers in order, preplan for services, etc., with the mindset being that you want to make sure family members are taken care of, and that they won’t have to worry about paying for any final expenses.
For some folks, consideration of such a situation can inevitably lead to thoughts of “what if I’m the last one to go? Who will be around to speak on my behalf? Will there even be a service? Will anyone attend to pay their respects?”
I don’t know what U.S. Navy veteran Lonnie Dee Wayman, 74, was thinking in his final days, but on February 21, 2026, he passed away after receiving hospice care, with no friends or family to claim his remains.
On Monday, one day before Mr. Wayman was laid to rest, a call was put out to the citizens of Nashville, inviting them to attend his service to pay their respects.
“Join us in paying respect to Lonnie D. Wayman, a U.S. Navy Veteran, who will be laid to rest with full military honors,” read a post on the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services’ Facebook page. “He was an unclaimed Veteran with no known family, and we invite the public to attend his service and show gratitude for his service to our country.”
As videos and photos show, the outpouring of support was incredible: