Never Alone: Sanford Veteran Laid To Rest

When Sanford resident Richard Burgess passed away in April, it was discovered that he had no family to bury him. But, as a U.S. Army veteran, Mr. Burgess had an extended family of veterans and supporters ready and willing to step in to give him a proper sendoff.

Dan Guillemette of Black Funeral Homes and Cremation Service, who was in charge of the funeral arrangements, reached out to Bruce Knight, who rallied members of Rolling Thunder. Mr. Knight and Dianne Connolly worked to publicize the graveside service through social media and word of mouth. On Wednesday, June 16, Mr. Burgess and his wife, Ida (Dehetre) Burgess, who passed away in 2020, were laid to rest at the Southern Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Springvale, with a large crowd in attendance.

Following the service, Mr. Knight posted this message on Facebook: “I want to put out a huge thank you to everyone that took the time out of their day to attend Richard Burgess’ funeral service today. It was beyond our expectations to have such an outpouring amount of people from not just our community but surrounding communities also attended which included over 200 attendees. Rolling Thunder Maine Chapter One appreciates all of you.”

Mr. Burgess was interred with full military honors. He is survived by his best friend, Ray Allain of Sanford. You can read Mr. Burgess’ full obituary here.

Photos by Dianne Connolly.