WWII vet whose neighbors set out chairs for his daily walk honored in neighborhood

A Minnesota veteran who was helped by his neighbors with chairs lining his daily walks now has a memorial.

Harvey Djerf would take a walk twice a day in his neighborhood, but the long walks would get tiring, so his neighbors put out chairs for Djerf to rest during his outings, KARE reported.

He would walk, take a seat when he needed, then continue on his journey.

"He cared a lot about everybody. He knew everybody's names and their kids' names, and he was just a really great neighbor. Good neighbor, good neighbor and friend," Erik and Ann Kleiner told WCCO.

His journey, however, came to an end recently. Djerf had to move to a nursing home a few months ago because of his age. His wife, Pat, died in March, according to his obituary.

The chairs were put away, until recently, when his neighbors found out that Djerf died  on Sept. 1 at the age of 96, KARE reported.

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Monday, Djerf's chairs returned, this time with flowers or messages to him and his memory, WCCO reported.

He passed away on what would have been his wife's 93rd birthday, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

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