WESTPORT, N.Y. (WHDH) – A World War I veteran will be getting his grave marker in time for Memorial Day after it was found locked in a closet for almost 40 years.

Jim Starbuck said when he first moved into his house in Westport, New York, he found a cardboard box addressed to Gerald Lee. Inside was a grave marker for WWI Navy veteran Wybyrn Litchfield Lee. Starbuck believes the box had been to the previous homeowner, historian Carlin Walker, to try and determine where it should be sent.

Starbuck said he spoke with historians for help and kept hitting dead ends. Until last winter, when he searched for the name online. The website FindaGrave.com said Lee was buried at a cemetery in Pittsford, New York. Since then, Starbuck contacted the town’s historical society to make sure the marker makes its way to the rightful owner.

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