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Funeral directors Carl Michaud and Michaela Griffin record the names of cremated remains before they are officially interred in a communal tomb. -
Carl Michaud of Michaud Funeral Home in Wilton transports cremated remains that he has stored, some for decades, to their final resting place in Laurel Hill Cemetery. -
Department of Public Works Director Mike Tatro and funeral directors Carl Michaud and Michaela Griffin of Michaud Funeral Home record the names of unclaimed remains about to be interred in a communal tomb at the Laurel Hill Cemetery. -
The Town of Wilton donated a plot to bury unclaimed individuals, some of whom have been stored by Michaud Funeral Home in Wilton for decades, giving them a burial on June 1. -
Funeral director Michaela Griffin reads a poem and holds a moment of silence following the interment of unclaimed remains at Laurel Hill Cemetery June 1.
Last week, Michaud Funeral Home and Crematorium laid to rest 40 people – some whose cremated remains have been stored at the funeral home since the late 1970s – in a plot in the corner of Laurel Hill Cemetery.
“It’s a really good feeling to finally have that done,” said Carl Michaud, owner of Michaud Funeral Home and one of its funeral directors. “It’s something that’s been bugging me since I bought the place – what do I do with them? We have a place now.”
Last year, Michaud approached the town’s Cemetery Committee, asking if the town would be willing to donate a lot to install a cremation tomb and provide a permanent burial place for unclaimed remains.
“If no one is going to ever claim them, I think this is a more appropriate resting place,” said Cemetery Trustee and Selectman Kermit Williams. “This is a cemetery, and this is hallowed ground, and I hope that if family members knew about it, they would rather have them here.”
Cemetery Trustee Mary Ann Shea agreed, saying the town felt it was the appropriate thing to do, despite usually only allowing town residents to purchase and use town plots.
“It seems like a respectful thing to do, and it has the added benefit of, if anyone two or three generations out comes looking for their family member, there’s a record at the town,” Shea said.
Michaud had stored 16 remains since he bought the funeral home from Jim Nelson. Michaud said it’s rare, but does occasionally occur, where a family pays for the funeral but never claims the cremated remains. Though the state allows funeral homes to respectfully dispose of the remains after 30 days, Michaud said many funeral homes hold onto them much longer, and he has had family come forward a year or more after the person’s death seeking them.
While he would have been allowed to scatter the cremains long ago, Michaud said he only does so at the specific request of the family. He said his first choice was always to inter them in a cemetery, with a recorded location where family can visit.
“I feel strongly that you should be able to tell them, ‘This cemetery, this lot,’” Michaud said.
While Michaud Funeral Home had added a few unclaimed remains a year to its storage, space became a pressing issue two years ago when the home received a call from the state’s medical examiner, asking if Michaud would be willing to take on processing unclaimed remains from across the state.
“I had no issues with it whatsoever,” Michaud said. “Everybody deserves a decent burial or cremation. That’s the way I look at it. Their background, their history – it means nothing in the decision process. It’s a person that’s passed away, and something needs to be done, and we’re happy to help with that.”
Often, funding for cremations comes from welfare offices in the towns where the people died, Michaud said. It sometimes only just covers the cost of the cremation, and Michaud said the only way he has been able to provide the service is because Michaud’s built its own crematory six years ago. Michaud said it’s not about money, but ensuring that everyone has a decent and respectful handling of their end of life.
“They’re people,” said Michaud’s fellow funeral director Michaela Griffin. “It doesn’t really matter whether they have money or not. Something has to be done. Everybody can’t say ‘no’ – someone has to say ‘yes.’”
After agreeing to take the state’s remains, Michaud said the number of unclaimed remains jumped from one or two a year to up to a dozen. Running out of space, he requested the town donate a plot for their permanent interment. The tomb has a bottom that is open to the earth, which allows the remains to degrade so the tomb can be used in perpetuity.
Williams and Shea attended the interment of the remains June 1, which included the reading of a poem and a moment of silence, in a simple ceremony. Michaud said he will inter remains as needed, but likely on an annual basis. The burials will be recoded in town records, and on Find a Grave, for families who wish to find or visit the site.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.