Opinion: Decency, no matter the cost

Since 1996, Abbey Parklawn Funeral Home in Dunedin has had the contract to bury Pinellas County residents whose families cannot afford burial services. County officials who checked up on Abbey Parklawn from time to time said they usually found everything in order, and in May the Pinellas County Commission renewed the funeral home's $175,000-a-year contract.

But recent reports of awful mistakes at Abbey Parklawn -- even allegations of neglect of corpses -- require that county officials stop doing business with the funeral home until they can complete a thorough investigation.

An Aug. 19 St. Petersburg Times story related the pain of the McNair family, whose matriarch was mistakenly cremated by Abbey Parklawn last month prior to the scheduled viewing and funeral service. Family members feel they never got to say goodbye.

In another case, a Largo woman has sued Abbey Parklawn and accused the funeral home of grossly mishandling her husband's body after he died over a long holiday weekend. Another funeral director who saw the corpse after Abbey Parklawn had finished embalming it said the body was discolored and leaking fluids, and he called it "downright neglect, unprofessional conduct."

Those are not the only complaints about Abbey Parklawn. Jeannie Walsh, who operates the business with her husband, has denied some allegations and offered explanations for others. The funeral business is difficult, and dealing with families while they are grieving requires patience and understanding. The challenges may be multiplied for a funeral business also handling burials of indigent people and unclaimed bodies at prices well below what they could charge other clients.

But a definite pattern of horrific complaints has emerged in recent months and cannot be ignored. Already strapped for cash and preparing to raise the property tax rate, Pinellas officials are worried that the cost of indigent burials will go up if they have to hire a different funeral business. Abbey Parklawn was willing to do the job for under $400 for each county client. Another funeral home almost certainly will charge more.

Cost cannot be an object in this situation. Decency demands that the county check out the complaints and do whatever is necessary to ensure that Pinellas County's indigent residents receive the same respectful and professional services as those of greater means.

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