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M brother is still at the mortuary waiting for his living siblings to sign the proper paperwork. Two of his siblings are willing to sign what is needed. Three are refusing to sign and even won't sign a waiver. It is costing a $100.00 a day in storage. What can we do?

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What documents must be signed by so many people to have your brother either buried or cremated?
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I'm so sorry for your loss, reen103.

I hope that this issue is resolved swiftly so that you can say goodbye and have closure.

In the meantime, if there is a place that you associate with your brother, perhaps you could go there and say a few words to him, so that you can start to grieve properly.

I know that a delay can affect the grieving process, as there was a month between my mum's death and funeral. I realised, afterwards, that it wasn't the funeral that was important, but talking about her with others who knew her. And talking to her.

Take care of yourself.
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This is not a caregiving issue, this is a legal issue. What is the bone of contention causing the disagreement? Is it about paying for it? Or, burial v cremation? If there was no Will and no Executor, then the next of kin hierarchy is: spouse, adult children, parents, then siblings. If your brother died with no Will and no 1 person legally designated to make burial decisions, then any one of his family members can apply to become the single Personal Representative for his estate and they can then be the only legal decision-maker, overriding the wishes of the others. So, while the siblings are squabbling, maybe someone in your family can go to the courthouse to apply as his Personal Representative. There is a fee for this, and a time delay as the application is processed and approved (and this varies by state). "A morgue will generally hold a body that family refuses to bury for a limited time, usually around 30 days, before seeking permission to bury or cremate it, often in a public grave. During this period, the coroner or medical examiner will attempt to locate family or other individuals to claim the body. If no one comes forward, the body is typically cremated or buried in a public grave. " (source: AI browser search results) Your family may be running out of time to do anything. Once the county gets involved the family will have no say in how his body is buried or where.
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Geaton777 May 13, 2025
Additionally, the court-approved Personal Representative can also deal with his estate, so whatever is owed the mortuary can be paid for by any funds/assets/property he has left to liquidate. The funeral home/crematory gets legal priority over other creditors (after the government and lawyers). If he died completely broke, then I would let the county bury him, otherwise "someone" is going to have to cough up the money for the mortuary and then the burial/cremation. I'm so sorry that this conflict is adding to your family's grief.
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Geaton is correct.
There is a next of kin or an executor involved here, I would assume; that person is responsible to make arrangements for the burial of this gentleman.
As to his "waiting" at the funeral home; he isn't waiting for anything anymore.
The undertaker/poet Robert Lynch makes it clear that where the dead are concerned, once they are gone there is nothing that can be done to, for, with, or about them that will make any difference to them.

Sadly, while this disagreement goes on there will be no remedy, so I would ask the funeral home director what is done when there is no apparent executor nor trusted next of kin, and family disagrees. This is, I agree with others, a LEGAL issue now.
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Retain a lawyer
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We had My Mom cremated - My Uncle Paid for it and My other uncle Buried half her ashes in Hawaii and we had a funeral at her church . I wasn't up for a funeral so I let other people handle it with the catering . I did deal with the tombstone and engraving . My brother I had cremated and his name added to the tombstone . These are things people should discuss beforehand not after the death But people do not Like to discuss death . I Know my Dad wants to be Buried with his ashes and cremated .
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MiaMoor May 18, 2025
I agree about discussions beforehand. I felt really uncomfortable, at first, talking to Mum about her funeral arrangements (at the request of my stepdad). She had suffered a major stroke some months before and she hadn't completely recovered, hence my assistance being required.

However, it turned into a lovely, shared moment.
We talked about her favourite music, flowers (she preferred donations to charity instead), how people should dress - "all in black to show just how much they miss me," she said with a wicked grin - and what type of service at the crematorium.

I was surprised by some of her choices, but most were in keeping with what I knew about Mum. We had a giggle at the expected reaction of friends and family by the choice of Billy Fury singing "Halfway to Paradise" as we say farewell to her coffin. Mum wondered whether that would be in bad taste, but I said it would be good to smile, thinking of Mum dancing to her teenage pop idol at the end. It proved to be the case, except for me being wracked with sobs.

I'm going to make sure that I arrange my funeral, soon. I'll let my daughter know what I've done and where to find the documentation. The only certainty in life is death, so there's no avoiding it.
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I am so sorry for your loss.

May The Lord touch your siblings and cause your brothers wishes to be fulfilled.

May HE give you all peace, guidance and wisdom during this difficult time.
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