They Had No Family to Say Goodbye, So These Students Became Their Family on Their Final Journey

• 4:39 pm August 20, 2026
• Yashvi

When three homeless veterans passed away with no loved ones there to bury them, six high school students stepped forward. What they did at the cemetery became a powerful reminder that no one should have to leave this world forgotten.

They Carried the Caskets of Three Veterans

In October 2015, six seniors from University of Detroit Jesuit High School took on a deeply meaningful responsibility. They carried the caskets of three homeless veterans whose bodies had gone unclaimed at the county morgue. The veterans had served in the Army, Air Force, and Marines.

They Became the Family Who Was Missing

With no relatives there to say goodbye, the students accompanied the veterans to Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly Township, Michigan. The students were part of a school ministry created to make sure people who die alone are still treated with dignity and respect.

A Final Act of Kindness

The school’s campus ministry coordinator later told TODAY in 2023 that the students’ service sends an important message: everyone deserves dignity because every person is “made in the image of God.” For these students, carrying a veteran’s casket is more than a school activity—it is a final act of kindness for someone who had no one else there to say goodbye.