By Molly Monroe
About fifty people, clutching folded programs and single roses, gathered on the lawn of Cloverdale Funeral Home for the annual Remembered With Compassion memorial to honor those who have passed away without a proper burial by family. Since 2016, the Ada County Coroner’s Office, the Treasurer’s Office and Sheriff’s Office have remembered individuals in the community who either had no legal next of kin or were abandoned in death.
Fifty-four deceased individuals, including three babies, were honored at this memorial. Each one with a story and a life that was laid to rest in the new ossuary built last year. Among them was Rebecca Owsley, a beloved former guest of Interfaith who was known for smiling through trials.
Interfaith Sanctuary’s executive director, Jodi Peterson-Stigers, gave the heartfelt invocation for the ceremony, thinking of people like Owsley who fell upon the hardship of homelessness near the end of her life.
“So many of our guests live with the quiet fear of dying alone and being forgotten,” Peterson-Stigers said. “Knowing that there is a compassionate community that will hold them with dignity, remember their names, and give them a place to rest brings real comfort to those who have lost their connections.”
Peterson-Stigers, along with Coroner Rich Riffle and the Ada County Coroner’s office, are both committed to ensuring that the memory of no one’s life is lost. When Riffle was elected as coroner three years ago, he inherited the weighty responsibility of conducting the Remembered with Compassion ceremony.
“Ultimately, it doesn’t matter why they’re there, but they are there… It’s another way we can express to the community our compassion and caring,” Riffle said.
Not only does the event touch the hearts of community members, friends and families who attend, but also those who have invested time and energy in the cases of the deceased. Team members like Sheila Silva find closure in these memorials.
Once investigators have completed their investigation, the case is passed on to Silva, the Office and Records Manager, who works with the Ada County Treasurer’s Office and the Ada County Indigent Services and secures their cremains. She invites the families of the deceased to the Coroner’s office, speaks with them about the decedent’s case, and learns about their life and backstory, which can be relieving and painful.
“We may have a friend or a family member who would love to handle final disposition, but legally, they don’t have the authority to do so. This gives them an opportunity to remember them and grieve them and still have that final rest with them,” Silva said.
“A lot of family and friend feedback this year about how thankful they were that their loved one received a loving send-off,” Silva said.
This event is slowly building to be more significant and recognized by the community. The programs, roses, and silent moments of reflection remind attendees that each person deserves to be remembered with dignity, no one should be laid to rest alone and no one is forgotten.