AS WMUR'S ISABEL LITTERST REPORTS -- HE HAD NO KNOWN FAMILY -- BUT HIS SERVICE WAS PACKED. <NAT SOUND TAPS> ON A BITTER COLD NEW HAMPSHIRE AFTERNOON..MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE STOOD TOGETHER IN SILENCE AT THE NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE VETERANS CEMETERY.. HONORING SOMEONE MOST OF THEM HAVE NEVER MET. <NAT SOUND> IT WAS A MILITARY SENDOFF FOR STEPHEN KOLESNIK..NAVY VETERAN AND NASHUA RESIDENT...WHO PASSED AWAY AT 97 YEARS OLD. ORIGINALLY FROM WINCHESTER MASSACHUSETTS.. KOLESNICK ENLISTED IN THE NAVY AT 18 YEARS OLD AND SERVED AS A FIREMAN SECOND CLASS DURING WORLD WAR TWO. LATER IN LIFE..HE WAS AN OUTDOORSMAN AND A MECHANIC FOR THE BOSTON AND MAINE RAILROAD. HIS NURSES SAY HE WAS ALWAYS SMILING AND ENGAGED. <CLIP 0021 13;58;44;07- 13;58;53;28 WE WOULD DO BINGO. WE DO KARAOKE, WE DO, SAILING. WE DO TRICK OR TREATING WITH OTHER KIDS. I'D BRING THEM IN THEIR COSTUMES TO SEE HIM, AND HE WAS ALWAYS WITH OPEN ARMS.> HIS NURSES SAY THEY WEREN'T AWARE OF ANY SURVIVING FAMILY MEMBERS BUT HE BECAME LIKE FAMILY. <CLIP0021 13;59;19;03- 13;59;26;13 STEPHEN BECAME A PART OF MY MY WHOLE FAMILY, MY MY DOG, MY SON, MY MOM. HE WAS MORE THAN JUST A REGULAR OLD PATIENT.> WHEN HE PASSED.. KOLESNIK'S NURSES POSTED ONLINE..TELLING STEPHEN'S STORY IN HOPES THAT A FEW PEOPLE MIGHT SEE IT AND ATTEND THE SERVICE. THEY NEVER EXPECTED THIS RESPONSE. <CLIP0020 13;55;38;17- 13;55;51;15 HONESTLY, I THOUGHT IT WAS ANOTHER SERVICE. I DIDN'T EXPECT THIS AT ALL. AS IN STEVEN'S OBITUARY, HE HAD NO LIVING FAMILY. HIS FRIENDS WERE STAFF AT HIS NURSING HOME AND HOSPICE.> BUT THIS IS THE HERO'S SENDOFF PEOPLE CLOSE TO HIM SAY HE DESERVED. <CLIP0021 13;59;26;18- 13;59;33;03 SEEING EVERYBODY COME TOGETHER FOR HIM BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES BECAUSE HE WAS NEVER ALONE.> OTHER VETERANS SAY THI
Hundreds attend funeral of World War II veteran who had no known family
Nurse's Facebook post encouraged people to show up for military funeral
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Updated: 7:45 PM CST Dec 11, 2024
Hundreds of people attended a military funeral service Tuesday in New Hampshire for a World War II veteran who had no known living family.Nashua, New Hampshire, resident and veteran Stephen Kolesnik was laid to rest at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery.Kolesnik died on Dec. 1 at 97 years old while in hospice care. His nurses worried that because he had no family, no one would show up for his funeral.Instead, more than 200 people attended the graveside service after one of his nurses, Celines Gonzalez, shared his story on Facebook. One of his other nurses, Becki Lynn, said she did not expect the huge community response."Honestly, I thought it was another service. I didn't expect this at all. In Steven's obituary, he had no living family. His friends were staff at his nursing home and hospice," Lynn said.Throughout his life, Kolesnik was an outdoorsman and a mechanic for the Boston and Maine Railroad. The nurses who took care of him in his later years said he loved sharing stories about his life, playing bingo and singing karaoke."Meeting Steve was definitely exciting," Gonzalez said. "He wasn't your average grumpy old man. He always had a smile. He was very welcoming. He would always salute me when he would see me taking care of all his neighbors. He'd always tell me, 'Good job.' He was always so caring.""We would do bingo, we do karaoke, we do sailing, we do trick or treating with other kids. I'd bring them in their costumes to see him, and he was always with open arms," Gonzalez added.Kolesnik, originally from Winchester, Massachusetts, enlisted in the Navy at 18 years old and served as a fireman second class during World War II. He was honorably discharged and later awarded multiple medals for his service. Bruce Moran with the Hollis VFW said the big turnout didn't come as a surprise."As we can see, he had a lot of family. When you're a veteran, you've got family," Lynn said.
BOSCAWEN, N.H. — Hundreds of people attended a military funeral service Tuesday in New Hampshire for a World War II veteran who had no known living family.
Nashua, New Hampshire, resident and veteran Stephen Kolesnik was laid to rest at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery.
Kolesnik died on Dec. 1 at 97 years old while in hospice care. His nurses worried that because he had no family, no one would show up for his funeral.
Instead, more than 200 people attended the graveside service after one of his nurses, Celines Gonzalez, shared his story on Facebook. One of his other nurses, Becki Lynn, said she did not expect the huge community response.
"Honestly, I thought it was another service. I didn't expect this at all. In Steven's obituary, he had no living family. His friends were staff at his nursing home and hospice," Lynn said.
Throughout his life, Kolesnik was an outdoorsman and a mechanic for the Boston and Maine Railroad. The nurses who took care of him in his later years said he loved sharing stories about his life, playing bingo and singing karaoke.
"Meeting Steve was definitely exciting," Gonzalez said. "He wasn't your average grumpy old man. He always had a smile. He was very welcoming. He would always salute me when he would see me taking care of all his neighbors. He'd always tell me, 'Good job.' He was always so caring."
"We would do bingo, we do karaoke, we do sailing, we do trick or treating with other kids. I'd bring them in their costumes to see him, and he was always with open arms," Gonzalez added.
Kolesnik, originally from Winchester, Massachusetts, enlisted in the Navy at 18 years old and served as a fireman second class during World War II. He was honorably discharged and later awarded multiple medals for his service.
Bruce Moran with the Hollis VFW said the big turnout didn't come as a surprise.
"As we can see, he had a lot of family. When you're a veteran, you've got family," Lynn said.
