1,000 Strangers Show Respect For Late Vet With No Family

About 1,000 people turned out for a funeral for a Vietnam vet from South Jersey who had no family, according to LP Wooster Funeral Home Funeral Director Leroy Wooster.

Most of the people who came out for Peter Turnpu's funeral were veterans and veteran groups, Wooster said Friday afternoon.

"I expected a lot of people, but not this many," Wooster said. Peter Turnpu, 77, died at his home in Atco last month. His funeral was held on Friday, Jan. 18, 2 p.m. in the chapel, 350 Province Line Road in Wrightstown.

“The public is invited to honor a Vietnam Veteran with no known family at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery,” LP Wooster Funeral Home in Atco wrote in Turnpu's obituary.

Wooster’s body was found in his home on Dec. 9, 2018, by a neighbor who sometimes checks in on him, the Courier Post reports. The neighbor called 911, and responding police found him unresponsive. They then contacted a local funeral home.

Wooster said that at first, he didn't know Turnpu was a veteran. He just felt the need to give Turnpu a proper burial. After more research, he learned who Turnpu was and felt he needed a proper burial, at a veterans' cemetery.

The VA provided a military honor guard for the services. Despite the ongoing government shutdown, it also for the funeral, which was attended by strangers and local officials who wanted to show their respect to Turnpu and his service to the country.

Image via LP Wooster Funeral Home.