Sharon superintendent helps fulfill veteran’s dying wish

SHARO N, Pa. (WKBN) – A World War II veteran who grew up in Mercer County was gifted something special just hours before he passed away.

After several decades, he finally got to hold his high school diploma thanks to the help of Sharon City Schools’ superintendent.

Gunnery Sergeant Richard Remp was a Marine who fought in World War II, Vietnam and the Korean War.

Remp was drafted while still in high school, which means he never officially graduated.

Recently, his health began to decline after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. His dying wish was to hold his high school diploma.

But Justi Glaros, Sharon’s superintendent, knew his time was running out. She decided to bring the graduation to him in Poolesville, Maryland, where he lived.

“To me, four and a half hours wasn’t far at all to be able to honor Mr. Remp,” Glaros said.

“It was sort of like out of a Hallmark movie. These things, you don’t see these things happen every day, and it was incredible to see it unfold in front of your eyes,” said Julien Singh, American Legion Post 247 commander.

“When I got there, it was all rather surreal,” Glaros recalled. “I was nervous because I felt like I was meeting a rock star… Here’s this man who’s a highly decorated veteran who really had from the age of 17, given his entire life to serve our country and to protect our freedoms.”

The moment became even more special as this was one of Remp’s final moments before passing away a couple of days later.

Glaros said she didn’t feel the true impact of her actions until receiving the news.

“I just bawled because I knew that I was able to give that to him,” she said.

Singh, who had known Remp, said this truly was his dying wish being fulfilled.

“I talked to him afterward. It was something he wanted and that was granted to him. It made the impossible possible,” Singh said.

With graduation season underway, Glaros said Remp’s story speaks volumes.

“A lot of our children deal with a lot of issues every day, and the character and resilience they show is not unlike Mr. Remp’s, and this is a strong community. This is a proud community, and I’m very proud to be here and lead this community to be able to take these values and to share them with the folks in Poolesville. I think that was very important,” Glaros said.

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