BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- A family in Brevard County is outraged over how its war veteran father was laid to rest. Not only did it take a month for the burial to happen, the man was buried without the family knowing it.

Marine and Korean War veteran Walter Spears, Sr. died of natural causes on June 14th at a nursing home in Titusville. But for Spears' family, it was only the beginning of a frustrating fight to lay him to rest.

"Nobody wants to 'fess up and admit they were wrong by overlooking my father," said Rodger Spears.

Spears' body had been sitting in a Rockledge funeral home for nearly a month, even though his family says the Veterans Affairs Department promised Spears a military burial.

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When officials at Atlantic Mortuary were contacted by Eyewitness News, the funeral director called back and said Spears had been buried within the hour. His family said it was never told about it.

"I was flabbergasted because we never had an opportunity to say our goodbyes," said Rodger Spears.

The national cemetery in Bushnell confirmed Spears was buried at 1 p.m. Tuesday with no ceremony or family present. The director of the funeral home would only say paperwork was to blame for the long delay and wouldn't agree to an interview to explain any further.

Spears' wife of 47 years, who's battling health problems of her own, could barely put the pain of the ordeal into words.

"That hurts me deep down," said Lucille Spears.

Veteran's Services in Brevard County said Sears was entitled to a full military funeral service at the cemetery, but insists the funeral home was responsible for arranging it with the family.