Las Cruces Man Has Hard Time In Granting Parent’s Final Wishes
ANTHONY, N.M. – An Anthony man says he just wants his mother to rest in peace. ButJeremy Ray saysactually making that happen is proving harder than he thought.
Ray’s mother died two months ago, but she is still ina hospitalmorgue because Ray doesn’t have the money to have her cremated.Thedeceased’s 26-year-old sonis on welfare, and can barely make ends meet.Ray alsodescribes himself as having a mental disability and says he’s lost several jobs.
The body of his mother was originally sent to a funeral home, but Ray couldn’t pay for the services, so the body was placed in the Memorial Medical Center morgue. The hospital holds bodies as long as it takes for families to raise money for services.
“One day,I want to go take a trip somewhere, and let both of my parents’ ashes go. ButI can’t let my father go without my mother with him,”Ray said.
Some say they find it odd that the man isn’t taking more decisive action concerning his mother. “I don’t know what’s going through his mind,I just know it would get to me ifI couldn’t help my mother,” said Glenn Morrison, one of Ray’s friends.
The situation isn’t all that rare, given the number of low income families insouthern New Mexico,said Steve Hyde,the chief operations officer of Memorial Medical Center.
