John Bernard Arnold III experienced loss early in life. After losing his mother at a young age, he was raised in the foster care system, eventually serving in the Navy during World War II.
Arnold’s greatest joy was bringing laughter to others, a gift he shared through his love of magic. He never married or had children, and when he passed away on May 6, there was no family left to take care of his burial.
This changed when Terrance O’Keefe from Hanover-Hanson Veteran Services made an appeal for support, aiming to honor Arnold with a dignified farewell. “We hoped for a turnout from across the state,” O’Keefe explained.
The community did not disappoint.
“I arrived about an hour ahead of the service, and the crowd was already over a hundred people strong,” recounted Erin O’Malley Mandeville.
She showed up because her husband served for 26 years in the Navy. “Everyone deserves the respect of remembrance. Especially our veterans,” she said.
At Arnold’s service, four veterans simultaneously saluted his casket. The priest also offered the crowd a glimpse into who John Bernard Arnold III was as a man, including his love for classical music, chocolate cake and “Grey’s Anatomy.”Â
“When the priest said that, everyone in the church just kind of laughed a little bit cause he’s a little out of their target demo, but it just made me feel like I knew him,” O’Malley Mandeville said.
Arnold had planned his funeral more than a decade ago, and his instructions were clear: a Catholic Mass, no eulogy. He just wanted people to know that he believed and he served.
When O’Malley Mandeville walked up to Arnold’s casket, she got emotional.
“I got teary-eyed when I saw him, and he had his Navy hat right there next to him, which I was told he wore proudly every day,” she said. “And I just quietly said, … ‘I hope wherever you are, you can see this. Because it’s beautiful.’”
At the cemetery, Arnold was sent off under a cloudless sky with bagpipes and a gun salute. The flag from his casket was given to the man who ran the veterans home where Arnold spent his final years.
And one more twist: The story spread, and Arnold’s great-nephew, Joe Durban, recognized his name and flew to Massachusetts to receive Arnold’s flag and visit his family member’s grave.
Arnold may not have wanted a eulogy, but he got 1,500 souls instead.