Taphophilia.(dot) Com - Man wants to disinter moms coffin to retrieve valuables

Welcome

Taphophilia (dot) Com...
A repository of morbid curiosities:
Thanatology and Taphophile Issues, Cemetery,
Funeral Industry and Death Related News.

What's at Taph?

Taphophilia Home

Thanatology Forums

Taphophile Weblinks

Taph's Article Archive

Contact Deadgirl

Donating to Taphophilia

Book Library

Deadgirl Recommends

Dig Deeper

Literature

Topics at Taphophilia

Deadgirl's Dictionary

Cemetery Photography

Industry News

Carved in Stone

A Taphophilia Thank You...

Taphophilia (dot) Com would not be possible without the knowledge, experience and talent of DarkestWeb. From
its conception and early development, DarkestWeb
was faced with many challenges; from inspiring and motivating, to providing guidance and direction. The continued dedication and support has produced results greater than ever expected, and for this, I owe a huge debt of gratitude.

Cemetery Snapshot

Announcements

Graveyards of Chicago:
The People, History, Art, and Lore of Cook County Cemeteries
By Matt Hucke And Ursula Bielski. Discover a Chicago That Exists Just Beneath the Surface - About Six Feet Under! Take a tour of Chicago's permanent residents! Please visit the Lake Claremont Press website to purchase your copy of Graveyards of Chicago today!

Green-Wood Cemetery Arcadia Publishing announces the release of Alexandra Mosca's historic account of one of New York's most famous cemeteries. Aracdia Publishing's Images of America series has an extensive catalog of many cemetery publications! Please visit Arcadia Publishing to purchase your copy of Green-Wood Cemetery and to browse other available titles!

Men of Mortuaries Calendar
To purchase your 2008 calendar, learn more about the KAMMCARES Foundation, or to be featured in the 2009 calendar, please visit Men of Mortuaries.

Epitaphs: The Magazine for Cemetery Lovers By Cemetery Lovers
For information regarding subscriptions, single issues, submission guidelines, deadlines, classifieds or advertising for future issues, please visit The Cemetery Club.

Guardians of the Soul: Angels and Innocents, Mourners and Saints, Indiana's remarkable cemetery sculpture
with photography by John Bower and foreword by Claude Cookman is now
available. Please visit
Studio Indiana for more information.

West Springfield Massachusetts: Stories Carved in Stone by Rusty Clark features information on early New England gravestone carvers with more than two hundred photos and illustrations. Please visit the Dog Pond Press website.

Man wants to disinter moms coffin to retrieve valuables

Written by DeadGirl
Thursday, 18 November 2004
Sons seek jewelry inadvertently buried with mother By Chau Lam Staff Writer November 18, 2004 A West Islip man wants to disinter his mother's coffin so he and his family can retrieve jewelry that was inadvertently buried with her when she died in June. Last month, Kenneth Reifert, one of the sons of Rita E. Reifert, got permission from State Supreme Court Justice Mary Werner in Riverhead to dig up his mother's grave at St. Charles Cemetery in East Farmingdale. A request to dig up a grave to retrieve valuables comes up about twice a year, according to a worker at the cemetery. According to state law, a judge must first grant permission. In a petition filed with the court, Reifert said that because of a misunderstanding or a mistake, neither his family nor the funeral director removed the jewelry before his mother was buried. "My late mother had disclosed her intention and direction to give said jewelry to certain members of our family," Reifert said in his petition. "My brothers and I comprise all of the decedent's next of kin and we all want to respect and adhere to our mother's wishes, hence, the instant application." Reifert and his two brothers could not be reached Wednesday for comment. His attorney, Justin N. Lite, of West Islip, said the gems have sentimental value to his client's family. Lite could not specify what the items were. According to her death certificate, Rita Reifert was born on Feb. 24, 1923, in Queens. She lived in Farmingdale. She died on June 1, 2004, at the age of 81. The cause of death listed was lung cancer due to a consequence of chronic pulmonary disease and osteoporosis. Robert Lattman, an office manager at St. Charles Cemetery, said the cemetery gets requests for disinterment for a variety of reasons. The most common reason, Lattman said, is when a survivor moves out of state and wants a loved one moved as well. Sometimes, a family member wants to move a loved one to a mausoleum, Lattman said. Twice a year, Lattman said, the cemetery gets a request to unearth a grave so valuables, such as jewelry, could be retrieved. "If you're not in the business it's kind of weird," Lattman said. The entire process usually takes two to three months to complete and costs, on average, about $2,500, Lattman said. And that's not including lawyer's fee and other costs. It's labor intensive and certain cemetery rules have to be followed. For instance, Lattman said, a coffin cannot be opened on the cemetery grounds so it has to be taken to a funeral home or similar facility. In his 20-year career, Lite has had clients who want to disinter a loved one after burial for various reasons, but he said this is the first time he has represented a client who wants to unearth a casket to retrieve jewelry. "It's a major undertaking," Lite said. "They did consider that [the costs] and they felt they want to follow their mother's wishes." http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lirita1118,0,4335907.story?coll=ny-topstories-headlines

< Prev		Next >

[ Back ]

SEO by Artio

Taphophilia?

taphophilia (taf′ō-fil′ē-ă)

ORIGIN:
From the Greek words taphos, meaning "tomb" or "sepulcher" and philia, meaning "attraction or affinity to something, in particular the love or obsession with something"

DEFINITION: 1. An excessive interest in graves and cemeteries. 2. A love or fondness for funerals, graves, and cemeteries. 3. In psychiatry, a morbid attraction to graves and cemeteries