Homeless veteran who died last month receives full military honors in McHenry
A procession escorted the body of Navy veteran Steven D. Dobry down a path lined with American flags Wednesday afternoon.
Community members, first responders and military personnel gathered at Woodland Cemetery in McHenry to pay their respects. Full military honors were performed. At one point, a folded American flag was presented to Dobry's son and namesake, who had traveled from Florida to attend the ceremony.
It was a beautiful service fit for an honorable veteran, said Mark Justen of Justen Funeral Home and Crematory. And if it hadn't been for the efforts of his business and the community, Dobry might never have gotten the memorial he deserved.
Dobry, 60, was homeless, sick and had "fallen through the cracks" before he died Oct. 19 at Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital, Justen said.
Unable to locate family in the area, a hospital chaplain reached out to the funeral home for help. That sparked a communitywide mission to ensure the local resident and veteran would not be buried alone.
The funeral home worked to organize the ceremony and spread the word. Local businesses and organizations stepped up to donate the casket, clergy and service accommodations.
Meanwhile, the efforts to track down surviving relatives continued with little luck. Late last week, Justen said, funeral home leaders made contact with Dobry's 21-year-old son, who had not seen his father in four years.
"I feel absolutely excellent that the funeral home family here stands proud to take care of our veterans," Justen said after Wednesday's service, which included a private visitation for family. "We also take care of our other citizens in this country - we take care of the homeless, we take care of people who are indigent.
"This was a once in a lifetime (opportunity) because we have reunited a father and son."
At his family request, Dobry will now be buried near where his son lives in Florida, Justen said, noting the funeral home is helping work out the details.
Dobry served in the Navy for eight months in 1984 before he was honorably discharged, he said. The Department of Veterans Affairs requires veterans to have served at least two years in order to be buried in a VA national cemetery.
Dobry's story hit home for Pastor Tom Rogers, an Army veteran who has worked with homeless individuals in McHenry County. So when Justen reached out asking him to lead the service Wednesday, he agreed immediately.
"It's really tragic that anybody is homeless, much less a veteran," Rogers said. "Somehow, we need to continue to have efforts to reach out to people - (including) veterans - so they can realize that they're cared for."
The number of homeless veterans nationwide has declined by nearly 50 percent since 2010, according to data collected by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Planning. A point-in-time count determined about 37,085 veterans were experiencing homelessness as of this past January.
In Illinois, the number of homeless veterans dropped from 1,081 in 2011 to 804 last year, according to HUD estimates. Rogers said local communities need to continue taking steps toward reducing that number.
"I think it's hard for anybody to ask for help, and I think it's hard for veterans, especially," he said. "That has been one of my passions, is to try to find ways to meet those needs and provide services."
• Daily Herald photographer Brian Hill contributed to this report.