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HANCOCK -- The 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor claimed the lives of more than 2,000 Americans.  Among them was Naval Fireman Third Class, Gerald George Lehman.

Lehman and hundreds of other sailors couldn't be identified, so they were buried as "unknowns," until now.

Dental and DNA analysis has positively identified Lehman's remains, and now, he's back home in the Upper Peninsula more than 69 years after his death.  Family members are calling it a celebration.

"This is surreal," says Peggy Germain, Lehman's niece.

"This is a joyous day, this event.  Most funerals are sad situations, but not this one," says Lehman's nephew, John Herres.   Herres knew his uncle and was six years old when he died.

Saturday, the family held a funeral for their Uncle Gerald, a brave sailor who died on-board the USS Oklahoma when it sank in Pearl Harbor almost 70 years ago.

More than 130 friends and relatives packed the cathedral at Hancock's Church of the Resurrection, and even more than that encircled his casket when it arrived at Forest Hill Cemetery in Houghton, Lehman's final resting place.

Several people spoke to honor the life of this sailor who died when he was just 18.  Among them, Sharon Lahti, the wife of Representative Mike Lahti.  She presented Lehman's family with a plaque, a tribute, on behalf of the state of Michigan.  Flags statewide were flown at half-mast Saturday in Lehman's honor.

"He gave his life for his country, and they're honoring him.  It's a beautiful thing," Herres says.

No, it was hardly a somber occasion.  In fact, at times, the mood seemed light.  This funeral allowed Lehman's entire family to take a deep sigh of relief. 

"If you wait 70 years for a funeral, it really puts the 'fun' back in the word funeral," Germain says.

Following his death, it was Lehman's mother's life goal to identify her son.  After she passed away, Lehman's sister gave it her all; unfortunately, she too passed away before he was identified.

"Oh she would be so delighted.  She would be a very happy person.  This is her dream come true," says Bobbi Arvon, another niece.

In 1941, Lehman wrote a letter to his parents asking if he was a "forgotten man".   Saturday proved that he wasn't forgotten in 1941, and 69 years later, he still is not forgotten.