The unclaimed ashes of hard times

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-on-the-edge-funeral22-2009feb22,0,2914598.story

The unclaimed ashes of hard times

The funeral director knows: Good times mean fancy services; bad times mean unclaimed remains. So some of the dead stay with him, near those from other decades, other bad times.

By P.J. Huffstutter :: reporting from southfield, mich.
February 22, 2009

Stephen Kemp rummaged through a supply closet for a box of staples, being careful not to jostle the blue paper bags of cremated remains on the floor.

It's not a great spot for ashes, but he ran out of space long ago. In the grand scheme of things, the closet is as good a resting place as any.

Kemp, the owner of Haley Funeral Directors, is used to a certain rhythm of life and death.

Good times mean fancy funerals -- open bars with top-drawer liquor, horse-drawn carriages, jazz bands for all-night jam sessions. Bad times mean unclaimed remains -- funeral fees often being a low priority for the living.