Latest news with #burial
CTV News
21 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
An N.L. man's remains have gone unclaimed for years. These two want to bring him home
Cousins Gord French and Pauline Yetman host a fundraiser to provide for a burial for the unclaimed body of a community member. The fundraiser on Saturday May 31, 2025 was held at Route 66, a pub and diner owned by Yetman in Carbonear. A second event is planned for later at French's premises. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly ST. JOHN'S — Two Newfoundland bar owners are raising money to help bury a man whose name is on a newly released list of 26 people who died in the province and were left unclaimed — some for more than three years. Gord French said he was confused and heartbroken to see Rendell Crane among the list of deceased people being kept in freezers in St. John's by Newfoundland and Labrador's health authority. The list published last week said Crane died in Harbour Grace, N.L., on Dec. 13, 2023. He was 72. 'He was a wonderful person,' French, the owner of Easton's 1602 Pub in Harbour Grace, said in an interview. 'You know a really good person, somebody who smiles and is just a sweetheart? That's Rendell Crane.' Crane's wife was buried in Harbour Grace in 2007, he said, and Rendell's name is on the gravestone in a cemetery in the heart of the small fishing community. French has teamed up with Pauline Yetman, who owns the Route 66 Diner and Pub in nearby Carbonear, N.L., to raise enough money to lay Crane to rest next to his wife. 'He is a member of our community,' Yetman said. 'He should be home.' Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services published the list online on May 28 after more than a year of media reports about the number of unclaimed bodies being kept in storage freezers at a hospital complex in St. John's. The list was published according to new legislation allowing the health authority to bury or cremate unclaimed remains if a search for someone to take responsibility them is unsuccessful. It contains names of 26 deceased people across the province who haven't been claimed, along with their age and the date and location of their death. All but three were older than 65. 'If you are a relative, friend, or someone who wishes to claim the remains, please contact us,' the web page says. The roster has triggered a kind of collective grief. Many have posted it to social media, prompting comments from people expressing shock and sadness that so many have been left alone in death. Bev Fraize was angry to see her friend since childhood, Suzanne Bennett, on the list. Fraize has been trying to claim and bury Bennett since her death in February at the age of 62. Officials had previously 'stonewalled' her because she is not Bennett's official next of kin, Fraize said. 'She always called me her sister,' Fraize said in an interview. 'I was listed as her next of kin at the hospital because I always got calls about her appointments.' Bennett was generous and kind, sometimes to a fault, Fraize said. 'She had it hard, but she always had a smile on her face.' Fraize had given up her efforts to claim her friend's remains, but resumed them 'immediately' after seeing Bennett's name on the list, she said. She emailed the health authority and someone responded saying officials would be in touch, she said. Ron Johnson, the health authority's chief operating officer, said officials will try to work with anyone who steps forward, including friends and community members. He would not comment on specific cases. 'The goal here is to work with them to help get these people a dignified burial,' Johnson told reporters in St. John's. He said he didn't know why so many people were left alone after they died. 'I don't know what's happening,' he said. 'This issue is happening all over the country, where there's more people being unclaimed.' On Saturday afternoon, people packed Yetman's pub to sing and play music at a fundraiser for Crane's burial. The event raised about $600, she said. French is hosting a fundraiser at his pub this week. She and French are in touch with members of Crane's family, who have begun the paperwork to claim his remains. The money raised at their pubs will go to Crane's family to help pay for a small service and burial, Yetman said. Any money left over will go to the local funeral home to help other families who need help to bury a loved one. 'No one should be in a morgue for two years,' Yetman said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025. Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press
CTV News
a day ago
- General
- CTV News
An N.L. man's remains have gone unclaimed for years. These two want to bring him home
Cousins Gord French and Pauline Yetman host a fundraiser to provide for a burial for the unclaimed body of a community member. The fundraiser on Saturday May 31, 2025 was held at Route 66, a pub and diner owned by Yetman in Carbonear. A second event is planned for later at French's premises. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly ST. JOHN'S — Two Newfoundland bar owners are raising money to help bury a man whose name is on a newly released list of 26 people who died in the province and were left unclaimed — some for more than three years. Gord French said he was confused and heartbroken to see Rendell Crane among the list of deceased people being kept in freezers in St. John's by Newfoundland and Labrador's health authority. The list published last week said Crane died in Harbour Grace, N.L., on Dec. 13, 2023. He was 72. 'He was a wonderful person,' French, the owner of Easton's 1602 Pub in Harbour Grace, said in an interview. 'You know a really good person, somebody who smiles and is just a sweetheart? That's Rendell Crane.' Crane's wife was buried in Harbour Grace in 2007, he said, and Rendell's name is on the gravestone in a cemetery in the heart of the small fishing community. French has teamed up with Pauline Yetman, who owns the Route 66 Diner and Pub in nearby Carbonear, N.L., to raise enough money to lay Crane to rest next to his wife. 'He is a member of our community,' Yetman said. 'He should be home.' Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services published the list online on May 28 after more than a year of media reports about the number of unclaimed bodies being kept in storage freezers at a hospital complex in St. John's. The list was published according to new legislation allowing the health authority to bury or cremate unclaimed remains if a search for someone to take responsibility them is unsuccessful. It contains names of 26 deceased people across the province who haven't been claimed, along with their age and the date and location of their death. All but three were older than 65. 'If you are a relative, friend, or someone who wishes to claim the remains, please contact us,' the web page says. The roster has triggered a kind of collective grief. Many have posted it to social media, prompting comments from people expressing shock and sadness that so many have been left alone in death. Bev Fraize was angry to see her friend since childhood, Suzanne Bennett, on the list. Fraize has been trying to claim and bury Bennett since her death in February at the age of 62. Officials had previously 'stonewalled' her because she is not Bennett's official next of kin, Fraize said. 'She always called me her sister,' Fraize said in an interview. 'I was listed as her next of kin at the hospital because I always got calls about her appointments.' Bennett was generous and kind, sometimes to a fault, Fraize said. 'She had it hard, but she always had a smile on her face.' Fraize had given up her efforts to claim her friend's remains, but resumed them 'immediately' after seeing Bennett's name on the list, she said. She emailed the health authority and someone responded saying officials would be in touch, she said. Ron Johnson, the health authority's chief operating officer, said officials will try to work with anyone who steps forward, including friends and community members. He would not comment on specific cases. 'The goal here is to work with them to help get these people a dignified burial,' Johnson told reporters in St. John's. He said he didn't know why so many people were left alone after they died. 'I don't know what's happening,' he said. 'This issue is happening all over the country, where there's more people being unclaimed.' On Saturday afternoon, people packed Yetman's pub to sing and play music at a fundraiser for Crane's burial. The event raised about $600, she said. French is hosting a fundraiser at his pub this week. She and French are in touch with members of Crane's family, who have begun the paperwork to claim his remains. The money raised at their pubs will go to Crane's family to help pay for a small service and burial, Yetman said. Any money left over will go to the local funeral home to help other families who need help to bury a loved one. 'No one should be in a morgue for two years,' Yetman said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025. Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Family sues Hollywood cemetery after learning that their mom was buried in wrong grave for years
A devastated California family has filed a lawsuit against a Hollywood cemetery after learning their mother had not been buried where her headstone was – and that they had been mourning the incorrect plot for four years. The Demirchyan family made the horrifying discovery in April when burying their father, Avetis, who was supposed to be laid to rest beside his wife at Forest Lawn Cemetery. However, during the service, a mortician pulled aside their son, Chris, to tell him the headstone for his mother, Hasmik, did not match her actual burial site, KTLA reported. While her headstone was in 'space 1,' she was buried in 'space 2,' just one plot to the right, according to the report. 'I feel betrayed because we have been speaking to an empty plot,' Chris Demirchyan said. 'All those times we put down flowers, we prayed, we came for holidays, we even put up a decorated Christmas tree – it was the wrong space.' Even though the cemetery has since corrected its mistake and moved her headstone to the correct location, the Demirchyan family is filing a lawsuit over the emotional distress caused by grieving in the wrong location for years. 'While we appreciate Forest Lawn for taking appropriate action to correct their error right after they discovered it, it still is inexcusable because this would not have come to light if my client hadn't suffered another loss,' said Rosie Zilifyan, the family's attorney. The family is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages, but said their main motivation for filing the lawsuit was to prevent similar mistakes from happening to other families. 'They think saying sorry and moving it makes up for what was four years of mourning that we did, and we're still grieving,' said George Eskichyan, Hasmik's grandson. 'This adds an extra layer of hurt and pain.' The cemetery has 30 days to respond to the lawsuit, according to KTLA.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Community rallies to give unclaimed Harbour Grace man a funeral
A Harbour Grace restaurant owner says she was heartbroken when she discovered that a fellow resident of her community went unclaimed after he died. "It's just… heart-wrenching that somebody was forgotten. And that's the only way to say it," said Pauline Yetman. "They were actually forgotten in a freezer." Yetman was talking about the 26 deceased people who lie in long-term storage freezers at the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's. Basic information about each individual is published on a Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services (NLHS) website. Rendell Crane is one of them. He was a Harbour Grace man who died at age 72 in 2023. Yetman doesn't know everything about him, but she knows that he and his wife were frequent church-goers, and that Crane was originally from Upper Island Cove. She also knows that there's a tombstone with his name on it, and a plot for him next to his wife, who died in 2007. "I just can't picture somebody being neglected, and forgotten and disrespected like that," Yetman told CBC News Friday. "Someone has to know you. You deserve a little more than a freezer." New legislation gives NLHS the power to bury unclaimed bodies after two weeks of searching for next of kin, and five days after the person is posted on a dedicated website. The health authority has issued a tender for a funeral home to handle those burials. Yetman said she won't let that happen to Crane. Her restaurant, Route 66 Diner and Pub, is hosting a fundraiser Saturday to raise money for a funeral. Yetman said it will also serve as a celebration of his life, even if she didn't know him. Now, the wait begins. Yetman is hoping to get confirmation that a local funeral home can claim Crane's remains for cremation and a service. It's not clear whether a municipality or an unrelated party can claim a body, but NLHS chief operating officer Ron Johnson said the health authority will "work with" people. "We're not being exclusive here," Johnson told reporters Friday. "We're trying to be inclusive to bring anyone forward to help with the process. Now, there are some legalities here that we have to work through and will certainly help people work through them." He said the new legislation is meant to help people bury unclaimed bodies in the most appropriate place. Johnson said he understands why people are emotional, and NLHS is trying to manage the sensitivities throughout the process. "This has been very emotionally challenging for our whole team," he said. In the meantime, Yetman is searching for more information about the unclaimed individuals from Conception Bay North. "If I can help… I think we owe it to these people," she said. "I pray to God that nobody else has to go through this," Yetman said with tears in her eyes. "I hope that there's never another body in a freezer anywhere in this world." Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.
CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
Community rallies to give unclaimed Harbour Grace man a funeral
Residents of Conception Bay North are working to claim one of their own from a hospital freezer 11 hours ago Duration 2:36 A Harbour Grace restaurant owner says she was heartbroken when she discovered that a fellow resident of her community went unclaimed after he died. "It's just… heart-wrenching that somebody was forgotten. And that's the only way to say it," said Pauline Yetman. "They were actually forgotten in a freezer." Yetman was talking about the 26 deceased people who lie in long-term storage freezers at the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's. Basic information about each individual is published on a Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services (NLHS) website. Rendell Crane is one of them. He was a Harbour Grace man who died at age 72 in 2023. Yetman doesn't know everything about him, but she knows that he and his wife were frequent church-goers, and that Crane was originally from Upper Island Cove. She also knows that there's a tombstone with his name on it, and a plot for him next to his wife, who died in 2007. "I just can't picture somebody being neglected, and forgotten and disrespected like that," Yetman told CBC News Friday. "Someone has to know you. You deserve a little more than a freezer." New legislation gives NLHS the power to bury unclaimed bodies after two weeks of searching for next of kin, and five days after the person is posted on a dedicated website. The health authority has issued a tender for a funeral home to handle those burials. Yetman said she won't let that happen to Crane. Her restaurant, Route 66 Diner and Pub, is hosting a fundraiser Saturday to raise money for a funeral. Yetman said it will also serve as a celebration of his life, even if she didn't know him. Now, the wait begins. Yetman is hoping to get confirmation that a local funeral home can claim Crane's remains for cremation and a service. It's not clear whether a municipality or an unrelated party can claim a body, but NLHS chief operating officer Ron Johnson said the health authority will "work with" people. "We're not being exclusive here," Johnson told reporters Friday. "We're trying to be inclusive to bring anyone forward to help with the process. Now, there are some legalities here that we have to work through and will certainly help people work through them." He said the new legislation is meant to help people bury unclaimed bodies in the most appropriate place. Johnson said he understands why people are emotional, and NLHS is trying to manage the sensitivities throughout the process. "This has been very emotionally challenging for our whole team," he said. In the meantime, Yetman is searching for more information about the unclaimed individuals from Conception Bay North. "If I can help… I think we owe it to these people," she said. "I pray to God that nobody else has to go through this," Yetman said with tears in her eyes. "I hope that there's never another body in a freezer anywhere in this world."
