'Part of my duty': For Eagle Scout project, teen honors veterans whose remains were never claimed
Cooper Merrinette wanted to leave a lasting impression to cap his quest to become an Eagle Scout.
When his father, Jeff, read a story about unclaimed cremated remains of military veterans at funeral homes around the country, the Downers Grove South High School junior found the perfect project.
"We need to honor these men who sacrificed so much by fighting for the freedom of our country," Merrinette said. "I feel that's part of my duty as a scout to pay reverence to them."
Cooper, 16, spent the last several months organizing a memorial ceremony for seven veterans whose cremated remains have been stored for decades, unclaimed by relatives, at the Knollcrest-Steuerle Chapel in Villa Park.
Next week, after this weekend's ceremony, Cooper, Knollcrest-Steuerle funeral director Eric Shoesmith and apprentice Ema Troxtell will drive the remains to Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Ellwood, where they will be interred with full military honors.
"When we took over, there were some cremated remains that, for whatever reason, weren't collected," Shoesmith said. "It was Cooper's idea to do this, and together we went through the records and found seven men who had served and who we could honor. It was a great experience."
The ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at the chapel, at 350 S. Ardmore Ave. in Villa Park.
The Villa Park men being honored are World War I veterans Charles Doswell, Frank Bonfield and Stanley Ohlman; World War II veterans William Hruska, Stanley Moldenhauer and Edwin Forsberg; and Korean War veteran Floyd Haynes. Ohlman's remains have been stored the longest by the funeral home, ever since he died in 1973.
Cooper, a member of Boy Scout Troop 99, arranged for bagpipers, a singer and a bugler to perform at Saturday's ceremony that's open to the public. Members of the local VFW will present the colors, dignitaries will speak and several service groups will be represented.
Village President Nick Cuzzone and other local officials will be on hand as well. To recognize Cooper's efforts, the village recently proclaimed Saturday as Veterans' Remembrance Day.
"This has been really well done. I'm really proud of (Cooper)," Cuzzone said. "These seven people, I think it's a reminder to us that we need to honor them for what they did for our country."
Cooper's planning began in February as he confirmed the veteran status of the seven men and contacted next of kin to receive approval for the interment at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.
He raised $1,000 to pay for wooden urns and other expenses. Cooper and members of his Scout troop took a woodworking class and engraved wooden plaques to attach to each of the urns.
It's a project that's taken Cooper much longer than similar Eagle Scout service projects, but he said it's been worth the effort.
"When we do these projects, they should be more involved and have more of an impact than the same projects that are done over and over again," Cooper said. "This is unique and respectful to these men."