Family Angry Over 500-Pound Woman's Burial

Family Angry Over 500-Pound Woman's Burial Casket Not Large Enough, Children Say NORWOOD, Ohio -- An Ohio woman was laid to rest recently, but her family says she'll never be at peace.

Barbara Norris of Norwood died last week at age 63. Norris weighed more than 500 pounds, so her children were concerned from the beginning about making sure her casket was big enough, Cincinnati TV station WLWT reported.

Family members said they checked with the funeral director at the Tredway Pollitt Funeral Home to make sure everything was in order.

"We all kept saying, 'Is this going to fit her? Is it going to be big enough?'" said Mercedes Norris, daughter of Barbara Norris. "'(The funeral director said) yes, yes. This will fit her."

Mercedes Morris and the rest of the family said they were horrified when they showed up for the funeral.

"Her face was, like, all squished up," she said.

According to WLWT, the casket was larger than a standard-sized casket. However, the family said that it still was not big enough.

What allegedly happened after the funeral was unforgivable, according to Barbara Norris' grandson, Joe Moreno.

"They asked me to lay on the top of the casket to try to get the lock down," Moreno said.

"The guy and my nephew were both laying on the thing trying to lock the coffin," said Michael Norris, son of the deceased.

The efforts to close the casket apparently were unsuccessful, and the casket was open when Barbara Norris was buried.

"I know there was a three- or four-inch gap in there," Michael Norris said. "I stood there and watched them pour dirt on my mom knowing that that casket was not closed properly. That is not right."

"You couldn't see her body but you could see the lining of the casket," Moreno said.

The funeral director at Tredway Pollitt Funeral Home told WLWT that he did his best, under unusual circumstances, to accommodate the family. He said also that he had no knowledge of his employees laying on the casket or of the casket failing to close.

Mercedes Norris said the funeral director's explanation is not enough to comfort her family.

"My mom had a lot of dignity," she said. "She may have been a big woman, but she was a good woman. And he had no right to bury her like that."

WLWT contacted several funeral home directors who said caskets can be special-ordered in any size. Also, because many caskets are made in nearby Batesville, Ind., and Aurora, Ind., a specially ordered casket can be shipped to local funeral homes within 24 to 36 hours.

The Tredway Pollitt Funeral Home has been in business since 1892. According to the Better Business Bureau, no complaints have been filed against the home in the last three years.

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