Hershel “Woody” Williams will be remembered for spending most of his life helping veterans and their families.

The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve veteran and West Virginia native died Wednesday at 98. During his lifetime of service to others, Williams took a special interest in Gold Star families who lost loved ones.

Williams and his foundation helped build a memorial monument in Charleston honoring families of servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the military.

Williams earned the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Pacific during World War II but never forgot the families of those who served.

In addition to constructing monuments, Williams also supported efforts to provide grave markers for fallen veterans with his friend Mike Lynon.

“He turned the VA into an extension of Woody Williams, the caregiver,” Lynon told Eyewitness News. “He did quite a job at it. I think he sunk himself into that to give back.”

Reactions to Williams' death have poured in from across the nation. Sen. Joe Manchin noted his selfless nature and called Williams "the embodiment of a true American hero."

“Everything that Woody ever brought to me that we should do was something for someone else,” Manchin said. “God bless him.”

Williams worked to establish Gold Star monuments in other states to provide families with a space they can call their own to honor loved ones and their sacrifice. The memorials also help educate the public about families enduring sacrifices.

More than 100 monuments have been built across all 50 states with assistance from the Woody Williams Foundation. Another 72 memorials are currently in progress. While Charleston’s own Gold Star monument remains, the state of West Virginia has lost a dear friend.