Steven Johnson, Funeral Director for H.E. Turner & Company, left for NYC this afternoon to assist with the process of cremation downstate as families are currently waiting 4-7 weeks.
NYC has seen an enormous number of deaths related to COVID-19 and their funeral homes are inundated with human remains with no real way to perform final disposition (cremation/burial) in a timely fashion.
There are only 4 crematoriums downstate.
Johnson hopes that families will only have to wait 4-5 days with his help.
H.E. Turner & Co. will be assisting Batavia Native, Dr. David Penepent, who is assisting NYC Funeral Homes by distributing remains to various crematories through Operation Hands with a Heart.
Johnson will transfer 40-60 remains tomorrow and then return to Batavia. The following weekend another funeral director will travel to NYC to assist. H.E. Turner will continue to assist downstate on a three week rotation, free of charge .
“We don’t feel that taking advantage of the situation is ethical or prudent and we are offering our services free of charge to the funeral homes and the families affected,” says Johnson.
This venture is being underwritten by the NYS Funeral Directors Association. Penepent and Johnson are also instructors for SUNY Canton in the Mortuary Science Program.