More than 800 expected to attend soldier's funeral

Hundreds of people are expected to attend visitation and funeral for Staff Sgt. Bradley Joe Skelton of Gordonville.

Skelton, 40, was killed by an explosion in Baghdad on Feb. 6. He was a "Sapper" on his second tour in Iraq with Missouri National Guard's 1138th Engineer Company, headquartered in Farmington, Mo.

More than 800 people are expected to attend his funeral.

"Although Brad wasn't married and didn't have any children, he had a very large extended family," said Christi Guilliams of McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson. "The family will have lapel pins on, a flag with a black ribbon."

That's just one detail to help visitors extend condolences.

Visitation, which starts at 3:30 p.m. today, will open with an American Legion Honor Guard service.

The 20-minute ceremony would typically occur later in the day but was moved "so the receiving line doesn't have to be disrupted," Guilliams said.

At 10 a.m. Saturday, a cortege will depart from the funeral home for services at Saxony Lutheran High School in Jackson. Members of Altenthal-Joerns American Legion Post 158 will direct traffic. Drivers should expect to be asked if they are planning to go from the service to the cemetery to keep parking organized.

The school's doors open after 10:30 a.m.; the receiving line ends at 12:15 p.m. so all can be seated by 12:45 p.m. Services begin at 1 p.m. with the Rev. Gary Hoffstetter of Christ Lutheran Church in Gordonville. Steve Grant, a National Guard retiree, will sing "Welcome Home."

The funeral procession to Christ Lutheran Cemetery in Gordonville, starts after the service. The cemetery is on a one-lane road next to the Gordonville School, so only family members will park nearby.

Others will get "all kinds of help with parking" in overflow lots, she said.

Shuttle buses will bring other mourners to the school from supervised designated parking at the old Circle S Saddle Company, Highway 25 and Route Z and Peters Heating & Air Conditioning, Langs' Trucking, the Christ Lutheran Church and the Gordonville Grill overflow lot.

Military honors will be presented by Delta Team of Cape Girardeau.

With a large funeral, Guilliams said, people comforting family members in the receiving line can help by being brief.

"Just extending condolences to the family and not taking it as an opportunity to catch up keeps the receiving line moving so it doesn't bottleneck the people," she said.

Visitation is from 3:30 to 8 p.m. today at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127