RED LODGE -- It seems appropriate that the funeral for the man thought to be the oldest living Purple Heart recipient in the United States was held Saturday, on Flag Day.

Centenarian Joe Papez, who died on June 3, was remembered at a memorial service attended by hundreds of people Saturday afternoon at the Veterans Memorial Civic Center in Red Lodge. Interment with full military honors followed at Red Lodge Cemetery.

Before the start of the service, 19 members of the Patriot Guard Riders stood outside the civic center, holding flags that rippled in the breeze. Inside the building, the World War II veteran's simple wood casket was draped in an American flag.

More than 300 people sat in rows of folding chairs and in the bleachers, listening to a series of speakers honor the longtime Red Lodge resident with their remembrances.

Red Lodge author Gary Ferguson, who served as master of ceremonies, told the crowd that in the dozen or so years he knew Papez, he came to understand that the old soldier didn't come by his sunny disposition naturally. It's something Papez worked at, despite the war injuries that plagued him all his life and the disappointments and losses he suffered.

The ability to look past the difficulties and maintain an optimistic outlook is one measure of a life well lived, Ferguson said. He quoted actor John Wayne as saying that courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway.

"Thank you, Joe, for saddling up every day and taking us on your ride," he said.

Papez, who was born in Kansas in 1907, was one of 12 siblings who, with his parents, homesteaded west of Red Lodge. He attended Draper School for six years until he had to go to work to help support his family.

As an adult, he worked for the U.S. Forest Service for 12 years until, at age 33, he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1940. He was part of the 3rd Infantry Division, 15th Regiment.

Papez served in North Africa, in Sicily and in Italy, which included hand-to-hand combat, and he sustained three serious injuries. In Italy, said his nephew, Robb Ball, Papez and one other soldier were the only survivors of their regiment.

The one soldier commented to Papez how lucky they were. A few hours later, Ball said, that soldier was dead and Papez was seriously injured. His wartime experiences led to him being awarded three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star.

To call Papez a hero is fitting, Ball said, but not only because of his military service. Papez was denied a previous job he loved because of the disabilities he sustained from his war injuries.

He also was unable to homestead because of those disabilities. Then his first wife, Florence, died prematurely. Papez lost much of his sight due to macular degeneration, and he lost some of his hearing.

"He had all of these experiences but he was never defeated," Ball said. "He lived a life of grace, humor and good will."

Papez's attitude toward life contributed to his longevity, Ball said. A teetotaler, he loved to drink coffee.

"The doctor told him drinking coffee would kill him, but the doctor didn't say when, and Joe outlived the doctor," Ball said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

Papez, a patriot, flew an American flag in his front yard. The Army vet didn't necessarily support going to war, Bell said, but he believed strongly in supporting freedom for the United States.

"He carried the life burden of remembering soldiers lost in action," Ball said, especially on Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

Martha Young, Papez's neighbor, said Joe had the privilege of being loved by two wonderful women, his first wife, Florence, and his second wife, Dorreen, who survives him.

"With Dorreen, he got to age and grow into the 100-year-old man we knew and loved," Young said.

She talked about how Joe and Dorreen loved to spoil her dog. And Young talked about how much the couple meant to her.

"Joe often said to have a friend you have to be a friend," she said. "I was privileged to be his friend and neighbor for 17 years."

About 10 others stood up to share recollections of Joe with the group. Red Lodge physician Bill George served as Papez's doctor for the past 18 years.

"I learned early on how to care for a 100-year-old man," George said. "Mostly you just stay out of his way."

Papez attributed his longevity to exercise, something he faithfully did until his death, George said. Service to others was something else Papez believed in.

"Something else that kept him going was his love for Dorreen and his family and his friends and his country," George said.

Ernest DeVries, a staff sergeant with the Army Air Corps., who came home to Red Lodge from war with Papez in 1945, said he and Papez marched in a parade every Memorial Day for the past 62 years.

"Joe put his uniform on for the guys who were left over there," DeVries said.

At the cemetery, members of the color guard shot three volleys of rifle fire. That was followed by a bugle player performing "Taps," and a bagpipe rendition of "Amazing Grace."

Finally, members of the Color Guard folded the flag from the casket and presented it to wheelchair-bound Dorreen Papez. Afterward, Christa Bianco, a longtime friend of Papez, knelt and briefly prayed by the casket with her daughter, Gabriella, 7.

Bianco, a kindergarten teacher at St. Francis Primary, said Joe and Dorreen Papez came and spoke in May to her classroom.

"He made such an impression on the children," she said. "They were mesmerized."

Bianco said that kids these days seem to gravitate to whoever is famous at the moment, that they don't really understand what a hero is.

"Joe was a hero," she said. "He was a really good man."