The Cantrell Funeral Home in Detroit made news last spring when six decomposing bodies were found in the funeral home.  At that time authorities also uncovered  the cremated remains of about 370 bodies, some of which were believed to be United States military veterans.

The funeral home building and business were closed and the building eventually sold and we thought we had heard the end of the issues with Cantrell.  Then, last week as the building was being remodeled and updated a tip came in that there were decomposing infant remains hidden in the ceiling.  This discovery set off world-wide media attention.

Virtually all people in the U.S. funeral industry have heard about this situation — one which may prove more damaging to the reputation of funeral homes and crematories than the Tri-State Crematory scandal in Georgia years ago.  Funeral Director Daily had decided that the main street media coverage was sufficient and we were not going to over kill our readers with coverage of this situation.

However, that changed today.  We are deciding to cover the good and decent news of those in the funeral industry who are stepping up to try to help families hurt by the Cantrell situation.  You can read an article here about Brian Joseph and his funeral home, Verheydan Funeral Homes of Gross Pointe, Michigan, that is not only trying by offering free services for the infant remains, but also trying to help locate families of those 370 cremated remains in order to find some semblance of closure to the families affected.

The article notes that last spring Joseph quietly arranged for the burials of the six decomposing bodies that triggered it all at Cantrell.  It also mentions that Mount Olivet Cemetery donated free space and services to those families as did the Santieu Vault Company.

It is my opinion that the issues that have erupted at the Cantrell Funeral Home again tear down the positive images good funeral professionals try to embody.  However, it is also people like Brian Joseph that quietly work to give families like those hurt in this situation reason to believe in our profession.

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