…cremated instead, so the burial had ‘never taken place.'”
The funeral director, Mr. Klein, showed me the request. My daughter-in-law, Heather, had signed my name to a refund authorization, claiming the burial had been cancelled. If the funeral home had paid it, $24,000 would have gone into an account she controlled.
“We’ve buried him ourselves,” Mr. Klein said. “I attended the service. I know exactly where he is. We denied the request.”
He also showed me the other invoices. Heather had asked the funeral home to issue “duplicate” bills for flowers, a reception and a headstone, all in my name, all of which I’d already paid. She’d been sending copies to relatives and posting them on her fundraiser as “proof.”
The fundraiser had raised $38,400. Forty-seven people had donated. Some of them were my own friends from church.
I reported the fundraiser to the website. They froze it within hours and began refunding every donor. I also went to the police with Mr. Klein’s records.
Then I did the hardest part. I wrote a short message to every person who had donated, explaining that I had paid for my husband’s funeral in full, and that their money would be returned. I attached a copy of the real receipt.
My son, Josh, called me that night. He’d believed Heather when she said I’d refused to help. He hadn’t asked me. He’d never seen the fundraiser.
Heather was charged with fraud. Josh filed for separation.
At church the next Sunday, three women who had donated came up to hug me. One of them said, “We should have known. You were at that funeral home every day for a week.” I was. I’d do it all again.
