After that, Stoltz moved to Bennington, where he married Pamela Muhleka in 1974. Pam died in 1984 from cancer.

"It messed him up pretty bad when she died," said Laurie Olsberg Shields, who grew up in Curlew with Stoltz and lived across the street from him in Bennington.

Stoltz moved back to Curlew, she said, remarried, then divorced. He never had any children.

While in Curlew, Stoltz looked after his mother until her passing. He spent some time in a nursing home after that, Bohn said, then returned to Bennington. He moved around and spent time in and out of nursing homes before his passing.

Since reading his funeral notice in the paper, Shields talked with former classmates and encouraged them to attend the funeral.

“It’s too bad it didn’t happen sooner when he was living that people reached out to him,” she said. “It sounds like he could have used a friend.”

But on Tuesday, friends, family and strangers flocked to the Omaha National Cemetery to celebrate Stoltz.

Dennis Schissel, president of the local chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America, said funerals for Vietnam veterans typically draw between 150 and 200 people, with crowds mostly made up of veterans.