LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A 105-year-old World War II veteran was laid to rest Thursday.

Horace Harrod St. was a World War II Army veteran who served with the 28th infantry as a communications staff sergeant.

He landed on Normandy Beach with the 28th Infantry Division about a week after D-Day, June 6, 1944. That division was credited with the liberation of Paris.

"He was the best dad you could ever have," Harrod's son, Horace Harrod Jr., said.

For the past four years, up until the very end, he had around the clock care in his home.

Horace Harrod

Pictured: this undated image provided by family members shows Horace Harrod Sr. when he served in World War II.

"Losing him was as hard on them as it was the rest of the family, because now they are our part of our family," Harrod Jr. said. "They treated him like he was their dad, and they're just, they're angels."

It was an effect he had on a lot of people.

In December, one of Horace's last wishes was Christmas cards.

"That touched a lot of people," Harrod Jr. said.

He and his family opened up nearly 6,000 cards from all over the country, and they weren't just for Christmas.

"People that sent him the initial cards kept sending him cards, not just for Christmas, but for Easter and Veteran's Day and for the 4th of July and just 'Hey how ya doin' kind of cards, and I've kept most of those so I can write back and thank them for that," Harrod Jr. said.

A true hero got the thanks he deserves.

"It's hard to believe he touched so many people in his lifetime, and it makes me very emotional when I think about it," Harrod Jr. said.

Horace would've been 106 in September.

His eulogy can be read below:

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