July 9, 2009
Perpetua, Inc.
Prosecutors on Thursday charged three gravediggers and a manager in an elaborate scheme in which hundreds of corpses were dug up at a historic black cemetery near Chicago and strewn in a weeded area or reburied with other bodies so that plots could be resold, authorities said.
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Ever since I learned of this (which is, naturally, a big story in Illinois), I thought back to our exchange about what we want done with our remains, about our own wishes and those of our ‘loved ones’ and those who will come after and whether it matters.
Still thinking.
I’m for green burial, in a memorial nature preserve, or chuck my carcass out back where it won’t smell too bad for too long. After I’m dead, I want to cancel all participation in the economic machine. This includes reselling my rot spot to another rotting corpse. It’s a waste of good pasture because the monuments spook the horses.
Kathy: you could pasture retired school horses there. They ought to be just about earthquake-proof. The only trouble is the families of the deceased might object.
I’ve worked in the death care industry. Having seen everything there is to see I have decided to be an organ donor and have my body cremated. It is the only sensical thing to do. You can help someone else and save your family the expense. I have participated in exhumation and can tell you your body will be worthless in the everafter. The same happens to it as in cremation only it takes longer and is messier.
“Show me the manner in which a nation or a community cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender sympathies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land and their loyalty to high ideals.” – Gladstone.
This is an example of what happens when big corporations get involved in business they know nothing about or can’t handle the precious responsibilities required. Stick with local owned funeral homes or cemeteries.
I live by both Cemetaries – Burr Oak and Cedar Park. On the outside looking in – they both looked like they were very well kept – but like it is said – No One knows what goes on behind closed doors.
As for anyone unsure of being buried vs cremated. As the saying goes on Ash Wednesday – “Remember Man that You are Dust – and into Dust you shal return.”
Here is a copy of an article in a locl paer:
A FORUM EXCLUSIVE: Dead Men Tell No Tales
by Michelle Ryan
A former employee of Perpetua, who is now deceased, would come forward if only he could. Out of respect for his family, we ask that his name not be publicized. He will be referred to as Deep Goat. The following story may rattle some skeletons, but I think it will answer the question, ‘How could this happen?’
The first day the Burr Oak Cemetery scandal broke, I got as far as taking the over-flowing file folder out of the drawer. I wasn’t ready to open it. Not even my beloved program, ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ could balance the creeping numbness and nausea that was setting in. The file was filled with issues involving the company that owns Burr Oak Cemetery. The file was started in 2002 in the event that if anymore shenanigans surfaced, we would be shovel-ready for a potential burial.
It was not a surprise to hear the company name ‘Perpetua’ and the former CEO’s name, in early news reports. I was well aware of the company’s serious financial trouble back in 2002. However, the name and face of Carolyn Towns, as the ring leader, was not only shocking, but questionable. You cannot look at Burr Oak Cemetery without looking at Cedar Park Cemetery. Carolyn Towns was also the manager of Cedar Park Cemetery, hired by Perpetua [to start] February 3, 2003. She saw the ripe opportunity to dig for gold.
One document that has been unearthed reveals a pattern of bad business decisions that plagued Perpetua from the start, in the mid- 90’s. The company was founded in crisis. Their first two acquisitions (Boatright, and Merrit-Green & Jefferson) were immediately underwater. Post analysis clearly showed they were never appropriate acquisition candidates. Wade Funeral Home came next with high expectations, but its cash flow went to bail out the two prior acquisitions. Wade then suffered severe cash flow problems of its own.
In December 1999, Cedar Park Cemetery was acquired. The State of Illinois was blamed to have hindered the success of Cedar Park. Over $1,000,000 paid legal fees instead of going into Cedar Park. Perpetua tried to get out of the transaction, but had over $4 million already invested. Cedar Park Cemetery was suppose to bail out Wade Funeral Home, but by 2001, Cedar Park was in a severe financial crisis.
In 2001, Perpetua acquired Burr Oak Cemetery. Again, the State of Illinois was blamed for damaging the investment because of a 14-month delay in approving the transaction. Burr Oak Cemetery then had to bail out Cedar Park’s financial problems, including borrowing money to make Cedar Park’s payroll. Perpetua realized they could not keep robbing Peter to pay Paul, because Burr Oak would soon have its own financial crisis. As one paper trail ends, another begins.
My displeasure of dealing with Perpetua came in July of 2002. One fateful night about 2 a.m., I was awakened to the sound of agonizing screams of one of the captive Sika deer that lived in Cedar Park Cemetery. I called the groundskeepers the next day, and was told this was the sixth deer killed by a pack of dogs. No one had reported anything.
When the dogs started invading my property, I went directly to the groundskeepers garage to get the matter resolved. Four of the original groundskeepers of over 30 years were there. The tension in the room was blatant. I wasn’t expecting the barrage of complaints against the new owners, Perpetua. The original workers (who are no longer there) stated that these were the worst owners they ever had, even worse than the previous embezzler. All actions and decisions were to be handled by the corporate office, based in Tucson, period!
I made it clear that just because a company in Arizona owned the cemetery, they would not be allowed to conceal a situation that was dangerous. Deep Goat drove me to the front office to confront the (previous) manager in a pick-up truck. Every time he turned even slightly to the right, the driver side door would fly open. It never latched shut. I joked about an OSHA violation, and was told that much of the equipment was in bad shape. The manager was no help.
I contacted the Illinois Cemetery & Funeral Home Association which revealed that if anyone was attacked by the dogs on their property, the liability would result in Perpetua losing the cemetery. The company’s further unwillingness to cooperate resulted in a public outcry, which then forced the cemetery to take action. By September, 2002, the situation was finally resolved. 7 deer and 5 other animals had been killed in the attacks. As the battle died down, there was a lingering distrust with Perpetua.
In January 2003, two women were attacked by a pack of dogs in the Dan Ryan Woods. One died, the other had serious damage. Deep Goat called me, and asked if I would do a story about what happened in Cedar Park. The deer that I heard screaming was found in a pool of blood. He also reminded me of an elderly woman who visited her husband’s grave early in the morning. She saw the pack of dogs chasing the deer, and hurried to the front office. It was closed because of a holiday, and no one was on duty. He wanted people warned. The FORUM broke the story in January, 2003.
Perpetua’s name never made headlines, but they felt the waves all the way to Arizona. I made copies of several articles from the Dan Ryan Woods attacks for Deep Goat to send to the CEO. Included was a poignant picture showing family members of the woman who was killed, carrying her casket. Deep Goat shared the response letter which states in part, ‘I will contact our insurance carrier to advise them of the problem and elicit their response as to how this risk should be managed to avoid liability to the company.’ It was disturbing that the letter showed no concern for the risk of injury to people, or animals.
Soon after, an inside memo was sent warning all employees that any questions regarding the wild dogs shall be directed to the corporate office in AZ (who witnessed nothing). This plan of Arizona handling this business in Illinois was not working. I understand that parent companies own businesses all over, however, the death-care industry is particularly sensitive.
Two letters reveal a colossal example of inefficiency. A funeral procession was on its way from a local funeral home to have a loved one put to rest in Cedar Park. The administrative staff couldn’t find the paper work. After at least 6 phone calls to the branch manager and another higher-up, no one called back. Deep Goat, who worked the grounds, not the office, had to dictate the letter to 1 of the 3 office workers on how to handle liability. The family’s loved one could not be buried that day, and had to go back to the funeral home. The branch manager who couldn’t be reached, later went on to be the manager of Burr Oak Cemetery. A replacement manager was sought to run Cedar Park, and Deep Goat pleaded and argued with the former CEO that they did not need a branch manager. Personnel already there were handling things. Too many cooks in the kitchen. The money spent on a manager’s salary would be better utilized for necessary equipment repair. The former CEO insisted that her new hire, Carolyn Towns, would be an asset to the company.
In February, 2003, when Carolyn Towns arrived at Cedar Park, she already knew that Deep Goat didn’t want her there. It was nothing personal at first, but it was a fractious relationship. She had no cemetery experience, but had a strong track record in ‘operation and quality management’. Part of Town’s job was to GENERATE FUNDS to purchase broken equipment. The SouthtownStar reported that Towns filed for bankruptcy in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Hello, it’s called a background check. One way to help generate funds was to cut costs.
Carolyn Towns found a way to cut costs. Seasonal employees were used to perform work such as driving dump trucks, and digging with a backhoe, which they were not supposed to be doing. Union grievance reports show that workers had to first be properly trained, and once proficient, they were re-classified from a Class ‘A’ to a Specialist, which garnered higher pay. Towns found a brilliant loophole by stating the seasonal workers were not actually performing the work, they were ‘assisting’ in the work.
The same practice was repeated at Burr Oak Cemetery which Towns also eventually managed. The lack of experience of the workers resulted in damaged equipment costing Perpetua thousands of dollars. Letters show complaints from workers ranging from broken axels, burned out clutches, broken doors on trucks, and broken 2-way radios resulting in mis-communication. Numerous riding mowers, dump trucks, and scooters were ruined. The broken equipment was having an effect on the maintenance of the cemetery grounds which could be clearly seen.
The final nail in the coffin was when a seasonal worker was operating a backhoe. Deep Goat had authority over the grounds, and ordered him off . An argument ensued. Carolyn Towns fired Deep Goat.
An inside organization chart shows a routine chain of command. However, as it gets to the lower level, there are numerous employees, not mentioned by name, but include occasional thickheads, sent in to ‘oversee operations’. These outsiders often made things more difficult. They often had no experience in the cemetery profession, and never gained the respect of the long time employees. The chink in the chain occurred in the bottom two layers of employees. However, authorities need to keep digging, and leave no gravestone unturned.
The Burr Oak Cemetery scandal was a crime of opportunity. Perpetua had financial problems from the start, never owned a cemetery, attempted to run it from across the country, one hand didn’t know what the other was doing, and they hired a manager with no cemetery experience. She was given the responsibility and authority to manage both cemeteries as she saw fit, yet her own personal finances included bankruptcies. Carolyn Towns presented herself in a professional manner evidenced by letters she wrote me about my ‘cemetery watch group’ (that’s another story).
The only time Perpetua seemed to realize a mistake, is after the fact. What a perpetual mess. I was relieved when Perpetua’s license was revoked in IL, but they should be banned from doing business anywhere. All of their ‘investments’ should go to the families who have been wronged, until there is nothing left. Perhaps shovels will not be needed, as their actions may have buried themselves. May all of us who were harmed by the events that unfolded, find peace.
In addition, we hear from the Vicar of St. Joseph and St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, Rev. Rod Reinhart…As Christians, we believe that God deeply desires to forgive all our sins and to call our spirits and souls to salvation. We know he wants those grave-robbers to repent. We also know that some people… sometimes, all too many people… have souls hardened, blinded and broken by the cruel things they have done. Their spirits…their minds and emotions… are so deeply wounded by sin and alienated by years of lies and selfjustifi cation… that they are unwilling and unable to respond to the loving grace of God or to seek the forgiveness that God gives so freely in the Gospel.
Let us hope that these grave-robbers… these ghouls… are forced to answer for the crimes they have committed against innocent families… and against all human society. As we pray for the families who have been so badly wounded by this crime, but let us also pray that God will reach and change the souls of these grave robbers that have been so hardened by lies and sin. Let us hope that they will still turn to God, in repentance and remorse, and seek the forgiveness they need so much today.
I am just reading these comments in shock today.
My parents are both burried at Cedar Park Cemetary…
I will be investigating further to see if thier grave sites are OK.