Name: Family recovers body after weeks of silence from funeral home
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Family recovers body after weeks of silence from funeral home

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AdvertisementFamily members says they lost all contact with funeral director for more than three weeksAdvertisementFamily recovers body after weeks of silence from funeral homeFamily members says they lost all contact with funeral director for more than three weeksAfter weeks of struggling to find answers from a local funeral home, a Maine family has recovered the body of their recently deceased relative. Jeanne Kirkpatrick died in mid-March. According to her sister, Irene Delisle, Kirkpatrick had arranged for Affordable Cremation Solution in Lewiston to handle her after-life services. Delisle said the days and weeks after ACS picked up her sister's remains became increasingly confusing and stressful, with the family unable to reach anyone from the funeral home by phone or in person. "The phone was ringing and ringing and ringing for weeks and it would click off," she said. "I am totally disgusted with this specific funeral company," Kirkpatrick's daughter Lorri Tlumac said. "They represent dignity and grace and this is what they've done. They basically abandoned everybody." According to Delisle, members of the family were either left on a ringing phone or redirected to the business's attorney whenever they tried to find answers about her sister's remains and working with a new funeral home proved challenging because ACS never filed her death certificate. According to state records from the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Kincer entered into a consent agreement on Jan. 9, 2020, for unspecified “unprofessional conduct.” The agreement was closed on March 9, 2021, with no violations found, according to state records. Family members said at their request, another funeral home was able to access Kirkpatrick's remains Wednesday afternoon and transfer them to a new facility. Tlumac said the financial cost of having to switch to a new funeral home will be far greater than the family had planned for when her mother was alive. “Their website talks about that we will attend with grace and dignity and what we’ve been seeing is nothing,” said Lorri Tlumac, Kirkpatrick's daughter. Kirkpatrick's family filed a complaint with the Maine Attorney General's office before their mother's remains were transferred. A spokesperson from the Lewison Police Department confirmed the agency was aware of multiple issues being reported about the home and that officer's performed a well-being check at the business on Monday. The spokesperson said at this time, there does not appear to be any criminal activity involved. A representative from the Maine Funeral Directors Association said other families who contracted with ACS may be in similar circumstances and their members in the Lewiston area are willing to step in and assist wherever possible. “Some people will say, ‘well you get what you pay for,’ well that’s not right,” Tlumac said.Affordable Cremation Solutions is not part of the Maine Funeral Directors Association. WMTW was able to reach Kincer through the phone number listed on the company website. He declined to comment and referred all questions to his attorney. His attorney has had no comment.A spokesperson for the Maine Attorney General said families experiencing a similar situation with ACS or any funeral home should contact their office for assistance.After weeks of struggling to find answers from a local funeral home, a Maine family has recovered the body of their recently deceased relative. Jeanne Kirkpatrick died in mid-March. According to her sister, Irene Delisle, Kirkpatrick had arranged for Affordable Cremation Solution in Lewiston to handle her after-life services.AdvertisementDelisle said the days and weeks after ACS picked up her sister's remains became increasingly confusing and stressful, with the family unable to reach anyone from the funeral home by phone or in person. "The phone was ringing and ringing and ringing for weeks and it would click off," she said. "I am totally disgusted with this specific funeral company," Kirkpatrick's daughter Lorri Tlumac said. "They represent dignity and grace and this is what they've done. They basically abandoned everybody." According to Delisle, members of the family were either left on a ringing phone or redirected to the business's attorney whenever they tried to find answers about her sister's remains and working with a new funeral home proved challenging because ACS never filed her death certificate.According to state records from the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Kincer entered into a on Jan. 9, 2020, for unspecified “unprofessional conduct.” The agreement was closed on March 9, 2021, with no violations found, according to state records. Family members said at their request, another funeral home was able to access Kirkpatrick's remains Wednesday afternoon and transfer them to a new facility.Tlumac said the financial cost of having to switch to a new funeral home will be far greater than the family had planned for when her mother was alive. “Their website talks about that we will attend with grace and dignity and what we’ve been seeing is nothing,” said Lorri Tlumac, Kirkpatrick's daughter. Kirkpatrick's family filed a complaint with the Maine Attorney General's office before their mother's remains were transferred. A spokesperson from the Lewison Police Department confirmed the agency was aware of multiple issues being reported about the home and that officer's performed a well-being check at the business on Monday. The spokesperson said at this time, there does not appear to be any criminal activity involved. A representative from the Maine Funeral Directors Association said other families who contracted with ACS may be in similar circumstances and their members in the Lewiston area are willing to step in and assist wherever possible. “Some people will say, ‘well you get what you pay for,’ well that’s not right,” Tlumac said.Affordable Cremation Solutions is not part of the Maine Funeral Directors Association. WMTW was able to reach Kincer through the phone number listed on the company website. He declined to comment and referred all questions to his attorney. His attorney has had no comment.A spokesperson for the Maine Attorney General said families experiencing a similar situation with ACS or any funeral home should contact their office for assistance.Loading more articles...

AdvertisementFamily members says they lost all contact with funeral director for more than three weeksAdvertisementFamily recovers body after weeks of silence from funeral homeFamily members says they lost all contact with funeral director for more than three weeksAfter weeks of struggling to find answers from a local funeral home, a Maine family has recovered the body of their recently deceased relative. Jeanne Kirkpatrick died in mid-March. According to her sister, Irene Delisle, Kirkpatrick had arranged for Affordable Cremation Solution in Lewiston to handle her after-life services....

Family recovers body after weeks of silence from funeral home

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