Widow sues over husband’s cremation

A Coeur d’Alene woman is suing English Funeral Chapel for allegedly cremating her husband without permission and for the loss of his prosthetic leg.

DeeDee Strimas also says the Coeur d’Alene funeral home gave her the cremated remains of someone other than her husband, although the lawsuit doesn’t specify why she believes that.

Bruce English, owner of the funeral chapel, declined to comment Friday, saying his insurer had advised against it.

John Strimas died July 24, 2005, at 62.

DeeDee Strimas claims in the suit that a funeral home employee came to her with a cremation authorization form on July 27 – but she later learned her husband had been cremated the day before.

Additionally, DeeDee Strimas alleges the funeral home filled out paperwork indicating her husband had no mechanical/medical devices, implants or prosthetics.

She says her husband was an amputee and had an artificial leg that was worth more than $7,000. In the suit, she claims the funeral home either disposed of the prosthetic or cremated it with his body. The funeral home violated the policies and procedures that they had gone over with her, according to the suit.

“Plaintiff was assured that her husband’s body had been cared for, cleaned and prepared for cremation in reverent and respectful manner,” the suit says.

If the funeral home had cleaned and prepared the body, DeeDee Strimas contends, they would have noticed her husband had an artificial leg. She is suing for the value of the leg and for damages in excess of $10,000 for “emotional and physical distress.”