MOSES LAKE - A memorial service was held for 44 Moses Lake area veterans who died in the past year.

The Moses Lake American Legion post and the Washington State Army National Guard Funeral Honors Team gathered in McCosh Park to perform funeral services Tuesday afternoon. The ceremony was held for the veterans who didn't receive them at their funeral.

The team is traveling through central Washington performing the services after finding a number of veterans didn't receive funeral honors, Staff Sgt. Andrea Wysock said at a similar event held in Ephrata last week. The state provided a list of veterans to the team divided by city.

Moses Lake American Legion Post Chaplain Richard Radder said it's important for families to know they can have military honors at veterans' funerals.

"It means something to the family," he said. "It's a way of saying, 'Hey, he was important to us.'"

The ceremony included a flag-folding ceremony and taps. Each of the names was read, followed by ringing a bell and moment of silence for each person, she said.

Two of the veterans named had people representing their families at the service. Miriam Sharpe, the wife of Army veteran John K. Sharpe, accepted the flag for her husband. Moses Lake City Councilmember Dick Deane accepted the flag for Marine veteran Donald J. Schaible, a friend from when he grew up in Moses Lake.

"This was fantastic," Wysock said. "This is the first time that we had done it that we had families present and it was the perfect time to honor them."

The team learned about the two families after Moses Lake American Legion member George Doles went to the Moses Lake City Council to ask for permission to perform the ceremony in the park, she said.

"They mentioned there were two people that they knew of who had family members on the list," Wysock said. "I confirmed with them today and they were able to be here."

Deane planned to give the flag to Schaible's family, since they weren't able to have a memorial service, he said.

"He was a high school classmate of mine," Deane said. "He went into the Marine Corps with two of our other Moses Lake High School graduates ... He, later in life, came down with muscular sclerosis and he was a great advocate of finding a cure and doing what he could for the community."

Deane felt a strong connection to the military, saying his twin brother and father both served, he said.

"I'm very pleased that this happened for him, so I will be contacting his family and making this available," he said. "That's my goal, is to let the family know how well he was respected."