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Rosalind E. Moore's negligence lawsuit contends the funeral home or the crematory lost the remains of her husband, who died Aug. 11.
By WILLIAM R. LEVESQUE, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 14, 2003
Rosalind E. Moore and two of her adult children said in a lawsuit filed Jan. 31 that either Moss Feaster Funeral Home or On Call Transport Service Inc. lost the ashes of husband Paul C. Moore, who died Aug. 11 at age 85.
His ashes were to have been shipped to Elkland Township Cemetery in Cass City, Mich., after a Pinellas cremation, which had been scheduled for Aug. 16.
"To date . . . Moss Feaster has no idea where the cremated remains of the dead body of Paul C. Moore . . . are and has given no reasonable explanation as to their whereabouts," the lawsuit said.
Mrs. Moore and her son, Sherwood C. Moore, and a family attorney did not return calls for comment. Mrs. Moore's daughter, Judy M. Berg, declined to comment..
The president of On Call, a Pinellas Park crematory, said the incident was under investigation by the company's insurance carrier and declined to say what happened.
"This could have happened many different ways," said On Call President Rick Kraus. "We've been doing business for 12 years and this is the first time we've ever had any trouble. We do have a very clean record. We just want to get this settled and try to make everyone comfortable."
Keith Gruendl, area vice president for Moss Feaster and its five Pinellas funeral homes, said in a statement that Moss Feaster did not think it was at fault. "Moss Feaster will continue its diligent efforts to bring about a prompt resolution to this matter," the statement said.
Mr. Moore entered into a service contract with a Moss Feaster funeral home on Belcher Road in Clearwater before his death.
Moss Feaster is owned by SCI Funeral Services of Florida Inc., a division of the largest funeral company in the United States. The negligence lawsuit filed in Pinellas-Pasco circuit court seeks more than $15,000 in damages.