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A celebrity has made sure that a Hannibal family won’t have to worry about its humble hero’s funeral expenses.
A representative of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” contacted James O’Donnell Funeral Home shortly after the death of Sgt. Paul M. McAlister II and offered to pick up the unpaid expenses, which the family estimated at more than $3,000.
McAlister’s mother, Deborah Wilson, planned a letter of thanks to the multi-media star.
“I’m going to let her know how appreciative we are,” Wilson said Friday. “She took away a burden.”
Wilson and the rest of McAlister’s family also planned to publish in the Courier-Post a thank you to all in the Hannibal region who had expressed condolences.
McAlister, 37, died of natural causes on Aug. 2 at his Hannibal home. The service was held Aug. 6 at O’Donnell Funeral Home in Hannibal. Burial with full military rites was at Sunset Cemetery on the grounds of the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy.
McAlister was a platoon leader in Iraq. During a mission on March 31, 2008, enemy roadside explosives rocked his unit.
McAlister suffered a brain injury and almost bled to death. Both legs had to be amputated below the knees.
Oprah interviewed McAlister at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., for a special program that aired on Feb. 26, 2009.
Wilson said her son called meeting Oprah and President George Bush “the highlights” of his life.
McAlister returned to Hannibal in August 2009 and retired from the military two months later. Family and friends recalled his unselfishness and his love of computers, cars, model trains, saltwater fish and his Great Danes, Samson and Delilah.
During the funeral, hundreds of area residents showed their support for the family by lining the parade route and waving flags. Others offered gifts of food, money and other help for the family.
Wilson still is getting condolence cards and calls from military personnel who knew her son.
“The support has been so overwhelming,” she said. “They really went out of their way to show me Hannibal is America’s Hometown. It makes me proud to live in Hannibal, and my son would have been proud, too. We’re so grateful.”
Family members still have some loose ends to tie up, including the disposition of McAlister’s house and his vehicles. But they have drawn comfort from the community outpouring.
“It has brought me so much peace,” Wilson said. “I feel like everything is going to be OK. It’s been a beautiful tribute that we will never forget.”
A celebrity has made sure that a Hannibal family won’t have to worry about its humble hero’s funeral expenses.
A representative of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” contacted James O’Donnell Funeral Home shortly after the death of Sgt. Paul M. McAlister II and offered to pick up the unpaid expenses, which the family estimated at more than $3,000.
McAlister’s mother, Deborah Wilson, planned a letter of thanks to the multi-media star.
“I’m going to let her know how appreciative we are,” Wilson said Friday. “She took away a burden.”
Wilson and the rest of McAlister’s family also planned to publish in the Courier-Post a thank you to all in the Hannibal region who had expressed condolences.
McAlister, 37, died of natural causes on Aug. 2 at his Hannibal home. The service was held Aug. 6 at O’Donnell Funeral Home in Hannibal. Burial with full military rites was at Sunset Cemetery on the grounds of the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy.
McAlister was a platoon leader in Iraq. During a mission on March 31, 2008, enemy roadside explosives rocked his unit.
McAlister suffered a brain injury and almost bled to death. Both legs had to be amputated below the knees.
Oprah interviewed McAlister at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., for a special program that aired on Feb. 26, 2009.
Wilson said her son called meeting Oprah and President George Bush “the highlights” of his life.
McAlister returned to Hannibal in August 2009 and retired from the military two months later. Family and friends recalled his unselfishness and his love of computers, cars, model trains, saltwater fish and his Great Danes, Samson and Delilah.
During the funeral, hundreds of area residents showed their support for the family by lining the parade route and waving flags. Others offered gifts of food, money and other help for the family.
Wilson still is getting condolence cards and calls from military personnel who knew her son.
“The support has been so overwhelming,” she said. “They really went out of their way to show me Hannibal is America’s Hometown. It makes me proud to live in Hannibal, and my son would have been proud, too. We’re so grateful.”
Family members still have some loose ends to tie up, including the disposition of McAlister’s house and his vehicles. But they have drawn comfort from the community outpouring.
“It has brought me so much peace,” Wilson said. “I feel like everything is going to be OK. It’s been a beautiful tribute that we will never forget.”
