He died in a fire on the day he was to be married. Decades later, World War I veteran from Beverly is being remembered.

A few weeks ago, the grounds crew at St. Joseph Cemetery in West Roxbury placed a military marker at the site of a previously unmarked grave.

There was no ceremony, no playing of taps or hushed gathering of family members. But it was a moment that deserves to be recognized, especially here in Beverly.

The grave belongs to John J. Gannon, a veteran of World War I who once lived in Beverly. Gannon died on Sept. 6, 1938, at the age of 46, not in war but under circumstances just as horrifying…. Continue reading “an unmarked grave no longer”

Paul Leighton has been covering all things Beverly for a long time–not 400 years, but 40! The retired former Beverly Times/Salem News reporter, now offers Beverly news like the sad story below about a World War I veteran from Beverly in The Beverly Beat. Check out more Beverly stories on Substack.