Decades after his death, World War I veteran finally laid to rest in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A war veteran, who passed away nearly 40 years ago, was formally laid to rest in a Nashville cemetery Tuesday morning.

John Repka served in the U.S. Navy during World War I. Along with his wife Celia, who died nearly 30 years ago, the couple’s ashes were interred at Middle Tennessee Veterans Cemetery.

Repka was born in Poland in 1902 and came to America when he was only five years old. At 16, near the end of World War I, he forged his birth certificate in order to enlist.

“He was put in the bowels of the ship shoveling coal,” detailed Ralph Conner, Repka’s grandson. “He said for the three years that he served, he was rarely allowed up on deck because of the mess. But he was extremely proud of his service. If you asked him what he was, he would just tell you he was an American.”

Conner grew up around his grandpa, describing him as a fun, loving, and stubborn grandparent.

When Repka died in 1988, Conner thought he had been buried in Chicago, where he spent most of his life.

However, this past July, Conner learned his ashes—and his grandmother Celia’s ashes—had actually been left in a storage unit.

“They had never been buried,” said Conner. “The remains were returned to me as a family member, one of the surviving family members. We wanted to give him the honor and dignity of not just the military but the religious rights to find a final resting place that they never had.”

The last American who fought in World War I died 15 years ago. He was 110.

Repka died when Ronald Reagan was in office. Funerals for those who were alive in World War I don’t happen anymore.

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