Funeral home refutes claim that woman paid $10,000 for burial

The Everready Funeral Home has again responded to the woman who publicly criticised the funeral home for wrapping the body of her dead sister in sheets of plastic in preparation for burial.{{more}}

They have also refuted Irene Hart’s claim that she paid $10,000 for the funeral home’s service.

A letter to SEARCHLIGHT from the funeral home states that it was Hart’s brother who conducted business with Everready.

“… She cannot provide a receipt to prove that she paid the undertakers that sum of money. As a matter of fact, she never had any business with Everready; her brother did,” the letter read.

Hart visited SEARCHLIGHT last week and reported that the family asked the funeral home not to wrap her sister’s body in plastic.

The woman said, however, to her surprise, at the funeral, her dead sister was wearing plastic undergarments.

Hart said it is in their family tradition to “dress the dead”.

The letter from the funeral home stated: “The Hart family had a request which we tried beyond duty to accommodate her family’s wishes. Although no one but morticians should be allowed beyond certain points at EverReady, we allowed her. Does she know that she should not have been allowed to touch the body, but we did her a huge favour?”

Following Hart’s request to have the plastic removed from the dead body, owner of EverReady Funeral Home Cedric Mills told SEARCHLIGHT that leakage from the body resulted in a messy coffin.

He added that it is mandatory that Unionall suits (plastic undergarment) be placed on dead bodies to prevent leakage.

He explained the body had to be removed and the coffin cleaned. Mills said the Unionall was replaced on the dead body to prevent further leakage.

“…When a body is being embalmed, it is very difficult if that body had a post mortem done or if in this case of Ms Hart’s sister had bedsores. Embalming means that special fluids must be put in the body to solidify blood and other body fluids, keeping that body from smelling or decaying rapidly…”

The e-mail explained that the Unionall suit Hart’s sister wore is specially made clothing for use in mortuaries and not plastic garbage as she led the public to believe.

SEARCHLIGHT could not reach Hart for a comment, as she had already returned to Trinidad where she resides.