Witness: No Problems With 500-Pound Woman's Burial
Family Says Price Adjustment Isn't Enough
NORWOOD, Ohio -- A man who witnessed the burial of a woman last week said there was nothing improper about the interment despite claims from the woman's family that her body did not fit in the casket.
Barbara Norris, 63, of Norwood, died last week. Norris weighed more than 500 pounds, so her children were concerned from the beginning about making sure her casket was big enough, Cincinnati TV station WLWT reported.
Family members said the Tredway Pollitt Funeral Home ordered a larger-than-normal casket, but it wasn't big enough.
"They asked me to lay on the top of the casket to try to get the lock down," said Joe Moreno, grandson of the deceased.
"The guy and my nephew were both laying on the thing trying to lock the coffin," said Michael Norris, son of the deceased.
A freelance funeral director handled Norris' funeral because the Tredway Pollitt Funeral Home's director was out of town. The freelance director told WLWT by phone that there were problems getting the locking bar on the lid to engage.
An attempt to speak with a funeral home representative was unsuccessful.
Norris was buried in Darbyville, Ohio, a small community near Columbus. Cemetery caretaker John Johnson was the last person to see the casket before it was placed in the ground, and he said the casket was locked.
Johnson: "If it had been open, I would have said something. I would have said 'Hey, this isn't right.'"
Reporter: "You had a view where you could see?"
Johnson: "Yes, I had quite a few views of that coffin at that time."
According to Johnson, Ohio law requires caskets to be enclosed in a larger steel or concrete vault. Norris' casket was placed in a vault, and her burial met proper, legal standards, Johnson said.
The freelance funeral director said he believes the funeral home will offer the family a price adjustment sometime next week. However, family members told WLWT that a price adjustment is not an acceptable solution.
Children Say They Questioned Size Of Casket
Family members said they checked with the funeral director at the Tredway Pollitt Funeral Home to make sure everything was in order.
"We all kept saying, 'Is this going to fit her? Is it going to be big enough?'" said Mercedes Norris, daughter of Barbara Norris. "(The funeral director said) 'yes, yes. This will fit her.'"
Mercedes Morris and the rest of the family said they were horrified when they showed up for the funeral.
"Her face was, like, all squished up," she said.
The efforts to close the casket apparently were unsuccessful, and the casket was open when Barbara Norris was buried, family members said.
"I know there was a 3- or 4-inch gap in there," said Michael Norris, son of Barbera Norris. "I stood there and watched them pour dirt on my mom knowing that that casket was not closed properly. That is not right."
"You couldn't see her body but you could see the lining of the casket," Moreno said.
The freelance funeral director told WLWT that he did his best, under unusual circumstances, to accommodate the family. He said also that he had no knowledge of his employees laying on the casket or of the casket failing to close.
Mercedes Norris said the explanation is not enough to comfort her family.
"My mom had a lot of dignity," she said. "She may have been a big woman, but she was a good woman. And he had no right to bury her like that."
The Tredway Pollitt Funeral Home has been in business since 1892. According to Cincinnati's Better Business Bureau, no complaints have been filed against the home in the last three years |
