Text 37010, 80 rader
Skriven 2016-10-11 17:43:00 av Allen Prunty (1:2320/100)
  Kommentar till text 37005 av Lee Lofaso (2:203/2)
Ärende: my funeral plans
========================
* In a message originally to Allen Prunty, Lee Lofaso said:

 LL> The homeless whose bodies are unclaimed are cremated, their
 LL> ashes scattered to the winds, the bill for cremation then sent
 LL> to their next of kin (or whatever kin can be found).  No marker
 LL> is made, and none offered.  They are lost to the world, as if
 LL> they never existed.

Not true in all places Lee... in my home city all homeless or people
lacking funds or a family for a funeral get a proper burial. Thanks
to an endowment that the heir to the Jack Daniels fortune donated to
purchase land for the cemeteries and we have a mortuary school here
and the students get to practice, the cost to taxpayers is
aproximately $500-700 and there are grants that suppliment the
program.

Low security Jail inmates, and those who are sentenced to community
serivce, take care of the indigent cemetery (through supervision from
metro parks).  Each person that we know their name gets a simple
marker that's made by adults with down syndrome. It has their name and
death date... the markers usually are nothing more than an embossed
metal plaque but their graves are cataloged and marked in case family
wants to visit.

If the next of kin can not be located, or they can't afford to bury
them a grave is dug, again by a county jail inmate work team, or by
people who are sentenced to communtiy service and they are buried in a
simple pine box which is made by students in woodshop classes across
the county in the high schools.

What blows me away is there are ALWAYS people at each and every
indigent funeral.  There often is music (I've done it before) and
almost always a small blessing or simple service is given (if we know
the religious practices of the homeless).  The coronoer arranges
volunteer pallbearers from the high schools and colleges.  Everyone
gets a real funeral right down to procession and hearse, even if it's
just a few cars.

It's part of our cities compassion program.  I don't know of many
others that do this for their homeless.  We acknowledge that they did
exist... granted eventually room will run out as they bury literally
with the coffins touching.  One particularly special homeless young
man who was brutally murdered had many attendees... even the mayor
paid his respects.  All of the county health workers and mental health
workers he touched came.  Even uniformed officers from the jail came
to say goodbye (he could be a handfull if he was off his meds and the
jail has one awesome treatment program here.)

 LL> The bodies of undocumented workers are cremated, their ashes
 LL> sent to their next of kin (or whatever kin can be found) of the
 LL> country where they came from, along with bill for cremation.
 LL> Doesn't matter how that undocumented worker met his/her end.
 LL> Could have been a victim of terrorism, such as on 9/11.  But
 LL> if that worker was here legally, then his/her body would be
 LL> respected, and given all rights the dead deserve.

This is the only time we cremate by our city is if the next of kin can
be found and they want the ashes we do not charge them for this
either.  Otherwise they can pay to have the body shipped or we will
bury it here with same respects as above.

 LL> We have a sick society.  And nobody wants to fix it.

Not everywhere... I know one great person, Our coroner Buddy Dunmeyer,
who won't stand for it.

LL> I guess we like it that way.

Probably because most americans are too busy watching "dancing with
the stars" to notice someone pass away and disappear into oblivion.
We have become comfrotably numb.

Thank you for posting such a thought provoking message.

Allen

... But there ARE stupid people who ask questions.

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