An unlikely friendship turned into a found family, and now a group of neighbors in Riverdale are making sure a Korean War veteran in our borough is not forgotten.

Angie Rivera And Daniel Heyliger formed an unlikely friendship with 93-year-old Herald Bowley in the early days of the pandemic.

Their daily meet-ups at the Dunkin Donuts on W. 259th Street turned into a special bond as Herald told them stories of his time as an army medic and working on Wall Street.

"We were like the cool kids club," said Rivera through tears and laughter.

But around Thanksgiving, Herald stopped showing up to their regular hangs.

"We would go to the Dunkin' and ask, 'Have you seen him?' 'They'd say 'no.'"

Rivera said that eventually she, Heyliger and two other members of the "cool club" decided to perform a wellness check on Herald, bringing FDNY with them.

To their heartbreak, the group of friends discovered Herald had passed away alone at home from a heart attack.

Now, they’re raising money to give him a proper memorial. For Rivera, it's especially emotional.

She admits to feelings of guilt since the group had seen Herald not long before he'd passed.

“I'm not close to my family. So, this, it's my found family," she says. “I used to call him our curmudgeon. He was cranky sometimes, but he was really sweet."

“Once he got to know us, he started to depend on us more and trusted us more like family to the point that he knows that if anything goes wrong, we would go looking for him.” said Heyliger.

Because Herald served our country, some of his arrangements will be covered by the U.S. military. The group is currently raising money to have a memorial for him at Williams Funeral on Broadway.

They say although he had no known living family, he was a beloved local who frequented diners and delis in the neighborhood.

“I hope he's looking from up above and having a giggle at all the work, and the footwork, and the running around, and posting that we're doing because I hope he knows we cared. And this is for you, Herald.” said Rivera.

For this chosen family, it’s a reminder during the holidays to spend time with your neighbors.

"Everyone has a story," Rivera added. "If we don't listen to them, those stories are gone. They cease to exist."