ATHENS, MI (WTVB) – Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation has issued a statement concerning a news story about the discovery of small boxes which reportedly contained the cremains of 37 people at the former Spencer Funeral Home in Athens.
Lighthouse acquired the Spencer Funeral Home building in a federal bankruptcy auction almost two years ago and took possession of the building in March 2016. They have been working on plans to clear the building out and ready it for demolition so an event hall could be built on the property.
According to Grand Rapids television station WOOD-TV 8, the former owner of the funeral home died last month and the family delivered several boxes to Lighthouse that contained the cremated remains of those that had not been claimed by family members prior to the sale of the building.
Tate Goodwin from Lighthouse said that while it is unusual for the former owner to hold on to them for nearly two years, it is not unusual for a funeral home to be in possession of unclaimed cremated remains.
Goodwin said that once the unclaimed urns were given to Lighthouse, they immediately called the Calhoun County Medical Examiner’s office. According to Goodwin, they were told to bring them to their offices at the Western Michigan University School of Medicine.
Goodwin added that if anyone believes that their loved one’s cremated remains were housed at the Spencer Funeral Home, they should contact the Calhoun County Medical Examiner at (269) 337-6173.
