Veterans and Families Can Discover Great Lakes National Cemetery on Free Sullivan Bus Tour

Veterans and their families can learn about the benefits and honors offered by the Great Lakes National Cemetery during a free bus tour by William Sullivan & Son Funeral Directors on Tuesday, Oct. 22.

Veterans and their guests will board the bus at the funeral home, 8459 Hall Rd., beginning at 9 a.m. and will return at 2 p.m. The funeral home will provide a free lunch during the trip.  Reservations should be made at (586) 731-2411. 

“In the six years since we began these tours, we’ve hosted over 1,000 veterans and their guests from the World War II generation all the way through young men and women who only recently left the service. Introducing them to this valuable resource is one of the most rewarding things we do,” said Sullivan co-owner Michael Lope.

There is no charge for veterans, their spouses or dependent children to be buried at the cemetery. Urns may instead be placed in the columbarium wall.  Burial benefits include the grave itself, grave opening and closing, perpetual care, grave liner, a headstone or marker, a burial flag and a Presidential Memorial Certificate.  Spouses’ and dependent children’s names and dates of birth and death will be inscribed on the veteran’s headstone, at no cost to the family.

There are 131 national cemeteries. The first were built in 1862 during the Civil War. Today, more than 3.7 million people are interred there. More than 22 million living veterans are eligible for burial in a national cemetery.

William Sullivan & Son Funeral Directors has served families for more than 100 years, beginning in Royal Oak, Michigan in 1906 and expanding to Utica.  The family-owned and operated firm has received the highest honor in funeral service, the “Pursuit of Excellence” and “Best of the Best “Award from the National Funeral Directors Association.  The company is committed to the highest ethical standards while providing meaningful service to meet each family’s individual needs.

Source: William Sullivan & Son Funeral Directors