|
Sept. 26, 2023
Media contacts: Amber Shoebridge, 503-931-9586
amber.shoebridge@oha.oregon.gov
Oregon State Hospital holds memorial ceremony for historical cremains
SALEM, Ore. – Fourteen families from across the country and Canada attended Oregon State Hospital’s (OSH) cremains memorial ceremony Tuesday to claim the ashes of relatives who died at the hospital or other state institutions between 1914 and 1973 and remained unclaimed – until now.
“For some of you, you may have never met or heard of the relative you are welcoming back into your family today. Thank you for opening your hearts to them,” said OSH Superintendent Dolly Matteucci at the ceremony.
David Gilliland and his cousin Rick Ewen traveled from Saskatchewan to attend the ceremony to claim the ashes of their great aunt, Mary Ann “Minnie” Gilliland Smart, who was an OSH patient from 1930 until her death in 1934.
“It’s about honoring Minnie’s memory. It seems like the right thing to do. We decided early on because there was a repatriation opportunity that we would want to bring her home,” Gilliland said.
In the past 10 years, OSH staff and volunteers have helped reunite families with the cremains of 1,052 of the 3,500 people whose ashes are in the custody of OSH. Meanwhile, efforts continue to identify the closest living relatives of those whose ashes have not been claimed.
This year, the number of remains claimed by families grew by 76. During the ceremony, the 76 names were read aloud one by one.
For some, the reasons why family in the past could not or would not claim the remains is unknown. The reasons could be loss of contact information, the inability to afford travel or burial expenses, or the stigma of mental illness at a time when sun stroke could lead to admission to OSH as easily as syphilis or morphine addiction, Matteucci said.
“What has not changed is the dedication of the staff across Oregon State Hospital to inspire hope to people at the most difficult time in their lives, promote safety and support their recovery,” she said. “What has also not changed is the resilience of those we serve and their ability to progress and recover, and our shared goal of an individual’s return to their community.”
David Baden, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) interim director, spoke of learning from the past as OHA looks towards the future. “We can and will do right by the people in our care across the behavioral health continuum. We must do everything in our power to ensure individuals with mental illness are no longer cast aside due to stigma, lack of services or support,” he said.
Until 1973, OSH operated a crematorium and became the custodian of the unclaimed cremains of nearly 3,500 people who died while living or working at OSH, Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital, Mid-Columbia Hospital, Dammasch State Hospital, Deaconess Hospital, Oregon State Penitentiary and Fairview Training Center. In 2014, the hospital dedicated a memorial and began holding an annual ceremony to remember those whose remains are now housed in the memorial’s columbarium. During the pandemic, the event continued virtually. The service returned to an in-person ceremony on Tuesday.
A current OSH patient shared remarks about their positive experiences receiving care at OSH during the ceremony event which also featured music performed by OSH music therapists and a prayer by the hospital’s chaplain.
After the ceremony, family members in attendance claimed their relatives’ ashes. Those unable to attend will receive their cremains, along with a rubbing of their relative’s name from the columbarium wall and the original copper canister that interred their ashes.
People can visit OSH’s online cremains directory to research whether they have a family member among the unclaimed cremains.
###
 You are subscribed to Oregon Health Authority News Releases. View all OHA news releases.
|
