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Unwanted Infant Receives Proper Burial
September, 1999
By CAROL DONATO, Times Reporter, City Editor
There was a light breeze blowing, leaves were rustling and the sun was shining when an unwanted infant found in a landfill in Stark County was laid to rest in St. Joseph's Calvary Cemetery at Dover on Sept. 17.
Fr. William Arnold delivered a Scripture message over the donated casket which held the tiny baby girl's remains, and Todd Little, director of bereavement services at Toland-Herzig Funeral Home, delivered a poem and a committal message appropriate for an infant.
There were flowers, too - a spray donated by Baker Florists.
Only a few were present: Toland-Herzig funeral director Denny Trimmer, who handled the arrangements for the private ceremony; Fr. Arnold; Sister Barbara Sir; church secretary Pat Morris; and the area couple and their son who began the quest to make sure the infant had a proper burial.
Trimmer said the woman contacted him for help in making sure things were handled properly for the infant whose body was found in Countywide Recycling and Disposal Facility at East Sparta on Aug. 26.
A bulldozer operator noticed the body, and notified officials who so far have been unable to find the person or persons responsible for leaving the infant in the landfill.
Even though Stark County Coroner Dr. James Pritchard's office was inundated with calls from Right-to-Life groups and others wanting to claim the infant after the information became public, the body was released to the area family, who wish to remain anonymous. They were the first to contact the coroner's office.
Trimmer picked up the infant's body in Stark County and took it to the funeral home where he made the preparations and coordinated the service with Fr. Arnold.
"I just can't say enough about Fr. Bill,' Trimmer said. "He dropped everything to help.'
Toland-Herzig provided the casket, and the church donated the gravesite.
John R. Herzig, Toland-Herzig president, said, "We felt compelled to lend our services to this baby because of our deep belief in the sanctity of a life that has been lived, no matter how short the duration of that life.'
The infant's grave is unmarked at this point, Trimmer said.
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