ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – It’s been learned that cremated remains that could have ended up in the trash turned out to be those of a St. Louis County Korean War veteran. 

A former police officer, who now is a home cleaning service provider, is stepping up to make sure the veteran gets a proper farewell—over a decade after his death.

Marc Lahay found two boxes at a house he was hired to clean. They were smaller than shoe boxes. 

The labels on them suggested they were important. He had no idea the boxes would lead him to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. 

“I wasn’t going to throw them away in the trash,” Lahay said. 

The labels said they contained the cremated remains of a man and his wife. 

“I called the people that actually cremated him. They’re the ones who originally advised me that they were possibly a Marine and should have been buried at Jefferson Barracks,” Lahay said.

Cemetery staff helped him navigate the paperwork for an upcoming military funeral for the Korean War veteran, who died in 2012.

A search for relatives of the deceased was unsuccessful. The names are not being released.

Lahay says it’s only right that the Marine and his wife are laid to rest at last. 

Now, he’s received another box: one containing the flag to be used at the cemetery service. 

“It’s just the right thing to do; that’s all it comes down to. It’s just the right thing to do,” Lahay said. “I’ve got so many friends who are going to come out. I’ve told a few other people, they’re calling people.” 

An interment service with full military honors is now set for Friday morning at 10:30 a.m. Lahay’s son, an active-duty Marine from the Chicago area, will be in attendance to accept the flag of his fellow Marine.