'No closure': Great-grandmother cremated against her final wishes, family says
"We have lost our mom twice," one family member said.
The family of a 93-year-old woman who died in July is pressing a funeral home for answers and accountability after they allege that their loved one was cremated against her final wishes.
The family of Euvy Rodney, a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, said that she died on July 8 and was taken to the J. Foster Phillips Funeral Home in Jamaica, Queens.
A death certificate provided by the family showed that Rodney wished to be buried in her home country of Guyana, next to her own grandmother, the family says.
Instead, the family, their attorneys and civil rights leaders allege that Rodney was cremated, and the family had to "jump through hoops" to reclaim her ashes.
"We have lost our mom twice. We have lost her in death, we have lost her body, we have no closure for our mother," said Christine Weaver, one of Rodney's 11 children. "For all she has done on earth, that's how you treat her?"
On Monday, Civil Rights Leader Rev. Kevin McCall held a press conference outside the funeral home calling for an investigation into the facility to figure out why Rodney was allegedly cremated against the family's wishes.
"No funeral home should be called a funeral home if they don't have dignity and they don't have respect for a family - they robbed this family of that," McCall said. "We are calling on this funeral home to be shut down immediately. The state needs to investigate."
John Eleftrakis and Wayne Wattley EEP Law Firm said it is beginning an investigation into what happened on behalf of the family and could consider a lawsuit.
Rodney's family plans to hold what they call a symbolic funeral Friday in Queens.
J. Foster Phillips Funeral Home Inc. shared a statement saying:
“Our hearts are with the family affected by this situation. We are deeply sorry for the distress this has caused, and are committed to supporting them with care, compassion, and respect during this incredibly difficult time.
"For generations, J. Foster Phillips has been a trusted, family-owned funeral home, serving our community for 97 years with care and compassion. As a third-generation business, we have always been committed to treating every individual with dignity, respect, and the highest standard of care.
"We remain committed to accountability and to honoring the trust placed in us by the families we serve.
"Out of respect for those involved, we will not be providing further comment at this time.”
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