Holland City News, Saturday, February 10, 1877

Another one of the old soldiers of this city was called to his eternal home on last Tuesday afternoon, this time the president of the Holland Soldiers’ Union, J. O. Bakker, at the age of forty years. On Thursday afternoon the funeral ceremonies took place. His funeral escort was the body of old veterans, whose president he was at the time of his death. They took the corpse to 2^nd Reformed Church, of which he was a member, where very impressive services were held, and then the corpse was taken to our little cemetery, and laid by the side of "those, who’ve gone before." The whole funeral was in charge of the Holland Soldiers’ Union, who assumes the expenses of burying their comrades, and always calls out a vast concourse of people to participate with them in this sad duty. The Union turned out remarkably well, and made a good appearance. One by one the old comrades are mustered out, one by one we must lay them away, until finally this sad duty will devolve upon a rising generation. He was a patriotic soldier, an honorable citizen, a faithful husband and a kind father. He leaves a wife and four children and a large circle of friends and relatives to mourn his loss.

(John O. Bakker served in the 67^th Ohio Infantry, Co. K. He is buried in Pilgrim Home Cemetery)