"Howard lost her sister unexpectedly last year, but didn't get to say goodbye or have a ceremony. So when she heard about a call-out this week, searching for volunteer pallbearers to help at the burial of an unclaimed body in Oshawa, Ont., she didn't hesitate. "I do have family out there who are 'unclaimed due to homelessness or addictions,'" she said, shortly after the burial. "I feel like this was healing for me because none of us are unclaimed.""
"Citing privacy, the funeral director told the volunteer pallbearers very little about the man whose coffin they carried: His name was Michael, he lived in Toronto, and he was unhoused. When no friends or family come to claim a body, municipalities become responsible for paying for burials. So they turn to funeral directors like Nathan Romagnoli, who runs eco Cremation and Burial Services in Mississauga, Ont., and put out the call for pallbearers — the one that Howard and others heard."
A group of about a dozen volunteer pallbearers gathered at an Oshawa cemetery to bury an unclaimed unhoused man named Michael. Volunteers hoisted the coffin from the hearse, laid flowers, read a poem, hummed Amazing Grace and played a travelling song. Several volunteers described the experience as healing and dignified, with one saying the ceremony felt like relatives sending someone off who deserved to know they were loved. Funeral staff provided limited information for privacy. Municipalities pay for burials when no next of kin come forward, and funeral directors coordinate services and call for volunteer pallbearers.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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