Bodies removed after Pontiac funeral home eviction

www.freep.com...

The bodies of five people and cremains for 22 others are on their way to the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office after the Pontiac funeral home sending them to their place of rest was foreclosed on this morning.
Advertisement

Pontiac Medical Examiner’s administrator Robert Gerds said the bank holding the note for the House of Burns Memorial Chapel, 195 South Blvd., has been working with his office for a couple of weeks to avoid mishandling of the remains. The 50th District Court in Pontiac scheduled the foreclosure to start at 3 a.m. today, he added.

“They can’t just push them to the street,” Gerds said this morning, referring to the bank. “They’re doing the right thing, or they’re trying to do the right thing. They’re trying to make the best that they can out of this.”

***************

The economy is so bad in Michigan, even funeral homes are being forclosed on. The funeral home was known for providing services even when families could not pay. During these hard times, are people not able to pay for loved one's funerals? Is this part of the reason?

Out of 43 funeral homes in Oakland County, this is the first funeral home foreclosure Gerds has experienced.----I somehow don't think this will be the last, unfortunately.

I live in Clawson, Michigan, a city not too far from Pontiac.
I felt compelled to write this to WDIV, Channel 4 in Detroit, after seeing the breaking news regarding the eviction of a funeral home in Pontiac.

I am appalled that the bank would sink so low as to take possession of a building that will more than likely sit vacant until it crumbles to the ground. Shame on the former owner of that funeral home! They KNEW it was foreclosed, and an eviction was inevitable. They should have directed the families of the deceased to another funeral home. How were they to know their loved ones final journey would include a "curbside" view from a city street in Pontiac? I worked in a foreclosure firm doing evictions for seven years before I lost my job. I have several family members that have lost their homes, and I am thankful that I was not the one to give the order to the bailiff to proceed with an eviction. I advised my family members that lost their homes, that THE BANK DOES NOT CARE - if you are in the property, they WILL evict you by putting you and your possessions out to the curb. One of my family members was subjected to the humiliation of an eviction, only because the bailiff posted the notice to vacate 10 minutes prior to doing the eviction. I have experience in evictions, and I advised her that they would post the property with a 24 - 48 hour notice to vacate. This bailiff did not do that. Prior to this eviction, there were several people, (which by the way, the bailiff knew) seen AND photographed by a neighbor, taking my sister's personal items out of the home, putting them in their personal vehicles and driving away. NOTHING WAS DONE ABOUT THIS! The foreclosure attorney, nor the police, did not care - this happened in Pontiac also. My sister even went so far as to contact Channels 2, 4 and 7 and heard nothing back from anyone. Honestly, I don't know how the owners of these foreclosure firms sleep at night - they drive around in Bentley convertibles, knowing they have profited off the loss of others. I've seen my former boss rub his hands together like he won the lottery when foreclosure and eviction referrals were at an all time high. It sickens me to think that I once was a party to that. I can't sleep at night for fear of losing my home. However, when I do get some sleep, I can honestly say that it's with a clear conscience.

We had a home in my neighborhood that was foreclosed on and this is exactly what happened. The whole contents of the house was put in the yard all the way to the curb and was left for weeks for the neighbors to pick through. They must have hired someone to pick up what was left, because we pay for private trash service.

It is truly a shame.