Oprah helps with funeral expenses for Hannibal soldier

Oprah helps with funeral expenses for Hannibal soldier

By BRENT ENGEL
Hannibal Courier-Post
Posted Aug 15, 2010 @ 03:40 PM
Hannibal, MO — 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.
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Oprah helps with funeral expenses for Hannibal soldier