LEE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Memorial Day ceremonies across the state and the country paid tribute to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice Monday.

In Pullman, the fallen were not the only ones saluted for their service, as the matriarch of one military family was honored for her role decades after her sons served overseas.

It began with a Facebook post celebrating Blue Star mothers. Kathy Hoffman had someone near and dear to her come to mind.

“They were celebrating the Blue Star mothers and that there were six children that had been in wars at the same time. I replied … that my grandmother had eight,” Hoffman said.

Joyce Fabian, who serves at Blue Star Mothers Blue Water Chapter 180 in St. Clair, saw Hoffman’s comment.

“And I went, ‘Excuse me?'” Fabian recalled. “She said … she had eight sons who served. During World War II, she sent six sons to war all at the same time, all in the same theatre. All six survived, which is miraculous. And in the Korean War, she sent two more. Only one survived.”

The matriarch is Dory Dailey, who ended up having 16 children, 66 grandchildren, and more than 120 great-grandchildren. She lived her life in the Allegan County town of Pullman until she passed away in the 1970s, but not before her pride and joy had their chances to know her.

“(She was) cheerful, happy, loving, caring for everyone, wanted to make sure everyone in the community was okay,” Hoffman recollected.

Then an idea came to Fabian.

“She was telling me this, and I said, ‘Well, did your grandmother have a banner?’ She said, ‘What banner?’ She said, ‘No, she didn’t have anything.’ I said, ‘Well, she’s going to have one.'”

According to Fabian, the record for number of children who served was held by a Minnesota couple until Hoffman reached out.

“And (Monday), we go ahead of the line and take first place with eight,” Fabian, a Warren native, said. “We’re really proud of that.”

Monday’s ceremony at Pullman Town Square was more than just the unveiling and dedication of the memorial honoring the finest from Pullman and Lee Township.

The family of Dory Dailey was given two one-of-a-kind banners, bearing one gold star and seven blue stars for the eight sons who served and the mother who served them.

“The saying among the mothers is: ‘When you serve, we serve.’ They’re the front line, we’re the back guard,” Fabian said.

When asked what her grandmother would say, Hoffman said “she would be so proud. I knew so many times that she wanted all of her boys home. So we’re honored today.”

According to Dailey’s family, there might be a development regarding Ralph Dailey Jr., Dora’s son who never made it home from Korea and is the namesake of the VFW post in Pullman. They told News 8 that remains from his unit were recently found and exhumed, but his have yet to be identified. They hope to welcome him home soon.