That’s Not My Fritz
Shrader Funeral Home, in Ballwin, Missouri recently faced every funeral director’s nightmare: they mixed up two bodies. Kim Bell of the St Louis Post-Dispatch reports that when the family of 80-year-old Fritz Schnabel arrived for his wake in late September, his widow took one look at the body in the casket and announced firmly, “That’s not my Fritz.” The funeral home staff at first suggested that the make-up be touched up, but when Schnabel’s family persisted, they checked for a chest scar from Schnabel’s open-heart-surgery. It wasn’t there.
The funeral home had no immediate solution, but suggested the family go ahead with the service, using an empty casket. That worked until some out-of-town family members arrived and wanted to see Fritz. Ultimately, there was a procession and burial ceremony, along with military honors, at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
So who was the man in Fritz’s casket? Robert J. Leonard, who had died the same day as Fritz Schnabel, at a different funeral home. Leonard’s family was also served by Shrader.
How did it happen? Bob Leonard survived his wife and sister; his funeral was attended primarily by nieces and nephews, most who hadn’t seen him in over a year. One niece attributed any doubts in her mind to his recent health issues, and having lost a lot of weight.
In the end, Shrader refunded both burials, and paid to have both bodies exhumed and re-buried, with services, processions, escorts and flowers. They’ve also required all bodies coming in to have ID tags.
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