Resident In Need: Help Honor A Veteran

We received the following e-mail last week from reader Greg Keely. His girlfriend’s father, a Vietnam veteran of the Marines, passed away. Financially drained by a prolonged battle with cancer, the family of this serviceman is not able to meet the monetary requirements of the funeral home for a proper send off. It’s a sad reminder that not all of our veterans are honored the way they deserve to be, and it’s your chance to help.

Here is the letter:

My girlfriend, Julie Simpson, and I are current Sheepshead Bay residents.  Recently she got the news that her father, who was in a nursing home, had gotten very ill.  He was suffering with cancer for a while.   She went to Pennsylvania to stay with him in his last days.  On Wednesday, September 8 at 3:05 am, he passed away, with her by his side.

He didnt have any life insurance, and left very little money behind.  She also has very little money to pay towards the Funeral Home.  The funeral home, as of now, will not release his ashes, or his death certificate until the bill is paid in full.

He was a Vietnam Vet, and unfortunately the veterans association would not be paying towards his cremation.

I set up a paypal donation page, so people would be able to help her out, if they wanted.

And here’s a bit from his obituary:

David K. Simpson, 63, formerly of 245 Market St., Sunbury, passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer at 3:05 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010, at the Bloomsburg Health Care Center where he had been a patient since May.

He was born Dec. 26, 1946, in Sunbury, a son of the late Alfred and Viola May (McCloud) Simpson. He resided in Sunbury for most of his life.

He was a veteran of the Marine Corps and served during the Vietnam War.

David was employed at Keystone Forge and Milton Steel for a number of years before retirement.

David was a life member of the Fraternal Order of the Eagles 503, the Goodwill Hose Company, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1532, all of Sunbury.

Please consider helping out a Sheepshead Bay neighbor and honoring the service of David Simpson.