Hundreds from all over pay respects to Massachusetts deceased homeless veteran who died with no family

A homeless Cape Cod veteran died earlier this month with no family. His community made sure he received a proper sendoff.

The Cape and Islands Veterans Outreach Center organized a burial of 78-year-old Army Veteran Charles Connolly at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne on Friday.

CIVOC asked people to come to the cemetery to pay respects for a veteran who was homeless and had no living family members.

Charlie died in the Veterans Affairs Hospice Care Unit in Brockton on December 18th.

Carey Dobson who leads the Case Management Team who along with Case Manager Page Malinowski, met Charlie when he came across CIVOC’s radar in early fall, shared his reflection.

“CIVOC were told by the referring social worker that Charlie was between couch surfing and living in his car. CIVOC talked to Charlie and learned that he had terminal cancer and was receiving all of his medical treatment through the VA in Boston. For months, every other week he would drive himself to the Brockton VA to catch the bus to Jamaica Plain for his treatments, stay a night in the hospital, and then take the bus back to Brockton. The treatments would leave him sick and weak for a few days afterwards.”

“We knew that any independent housing program was not a good fit for him and began advocating to find him the most appropriate, safe place for him to live out his final days. As we sought out the best choice for Charlie, he agreed to take shelter in a hotel. He and I spoke on a Friday afternoon, and he asked me to reach out to the Brockton VA Hospice Unit. He was confused as to why he had an upcoming appointment with them, why he couldn’t just be accepted to the unit, why after receiving a recent prognosis of three months left to live, he would need to have another exam in Jamaica Plain to get the final ok. I told him I would make the call and get answers and would call him Monday morning. During that conversation he told me he was not doing well, that he went into a convenience store a few days prior and didn’t think he was going to make it out of the store.”

“I made the call to the VA on Friday, December 15th at 3:50, minutes after he and I hung up. The nurse I spoke to said that she would talk to him and ask permission for the referral to be put through to the hospice unit without him having to go to the scheduled appointment. She said she would call him Monday. When he didn’t answer my calls that Monday morning or the nurse’s, a welfare check was made by the Bourne PD and FD. When Charlie answered the hotel door, he was so weak that he fell into the arms of the paramedics. They rushed him to Toby hospital and on Wednesday Charlie was transferred to the Brockton VA Hospice Unit where he could finally rest, be cared for, and die with dignity.”

“Charlie was raised right here back in 1965, to defend this country. And he did not know who he was defending but he simply raised his hand and served this country,” said Jim Seymour with the Cape and Islands Veterans Outreach Center. “It’s our opportunity to say thank you to Charlie for that service.”

On Friday, people answered the call as hundreds from all over came to honor Connolly, including Massachusetts State Representative Steve Xiarhos.

“Charlie’s story is a powerful reminder of the challenges many of our veterans face after their service. His journey, marked by courage and resilience, ended in the compassionate care of the Veterans Affairs Hospice Unit in Brockton. Despite the lack of family by his side, Charlie’s spirit was never alone, thanks to the unwavering support of the Cape and Islands Veterans Outreach Center and individuals like Jim Seymour.”