Bodies stored for years before burial

Martin G. Lorberg, founder of Lorberg Funeral Parlors, is at left at the company’s 433 S. Sprigg St. location, which opened in June 1929. At right is Martin’s son, Carlton Lorberg. The photograph appears in the Southeast Missourian’s 25th Anniversary Edition, published Oct. 3, 1929. (Southeast Missourian archive)

Mom's dad — Raymond Stehr — was a friend to Martin G. Lorberg, the man who founded Lorberg Funeral Parlors, which later became Crain Funeral Home.

I recall Mom's story of her dad visiting Lorberg at his funeral chapel and the undertaker showing Grandpa the body of a child he was storing. If Mom knew why this was being done, I can't recall her saying, but I can tell you it was a true tale.

The child's name was Laura Adalia Helmer, the daughter of George J. and Minnie M. Wiggins Helmer of Lutesville, and she passed away at Saint Francis Hospital in 1927 of peritonitis. Lorberg agreed to hold the body until arrangements were made to ship it to California for burial. Almost two years later, Laura Adalia remained in storage.

Published Sept. 17, 1927, in the Southeast Missourian:

DEATH CLAIMS LUTESVILLE GIRL

Laura Adalia Helmer, whose parents live on Rural Route 1, Lutesville, Missouri, died in a Cape Girardeau hospital at 6:25 o'clock this forenoon. Death was ascribed to peritonitis.

The girl was born June 22, 1919, at San Francisco, California. The body will be kept at the Lorberg undertaking parlors until arrangements are made for sending it to California for interment.

Published July 3, 1929, in the Southeast Missourian, a month after Lorberg opened his new undertaking parlors at 433 S. Sprigg St.:

FUNERAL RITES HELD FOR GIRL WHO DIED HERE TWO YEARS AGO

Funeral services for Laura Adalia, 8, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Helmer of Lutesville, who died nearly two years ago, were held this afternoon at Fairmount Cemetery. The body had been held since her death, at the Lorberg Funeral Chapel. Proprietor M.G. Lorberg was told to hold the body of the girl until members of the family could agree where she should be buried.

Apparently the mother of the girl wanted to bury her in California, where she was born, but the father evidently was not financially able to bear this expense, hence they never came to an agreement. Lorberg a few weeks ago asked for a decision in the matter and after receiving no word from the family today held services at county expense.

The child died Sept. 17, 1927, at the Saint Francis Hospital from peritonitis, following an operation for appendicitis, according to information written into the burial permit. She was born June 22, 1919, at San Francisco, California.

This is not a record case of this kind on file here, according to undertakers, who reported that a body had once been retained for a longer period.

Laura Adalia Helmer is listed in city records as being buried at Fairmount Cemetery, but her grave has no marker.

The "record case" mentioned in the last paragraph of the story refers to the unfortunate case of Mrs. Hannah Amelia Travis, who died in Cape Girardeau Dec. 12, 1920. She didn't find her final resting place until November 1923, 100 years ago. In this instance, too, the family was at odds about where to bury the 73-year-old woman, and her mortal remains languished "temporarily" at the mausoleum in New Lorimier Cemetery and at the Lorberg facility for three years.

Published Dec. 14, 1920, in the Southeast Missourian:

SEEKS PLACE TO KEEP BODY OF MOTHER WHO DIED HERE

Mrs. Hanna Amelia Travis, who came to Cape Girardeau six weeks ago from Kansas City to make her home with a relative, Mrs. Robert Hyatt, 205 S. Sprigg St., died at the latter address Sunday night of organic heart lesion. She had been a sufferer from the malady for a long time and during all the time she has been here she was able to get about only with the use of an invalid chair.

Funeral services are to be held at the Hyatt home Wednesday afternoon, but just where burial will be made has not yet been arranged. A son, J.H. Travis, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, arrived here Monday noon and intends to bury his mother in the old family burying grounds in Brooklyn, New York, but as he is now engaged in a big undertaking at Milwaukee that requires his immediate attention — he is trying to make arrangements to have (the) body laid away here temporarily and later remove it to Brooklyn for the final resting place.

Seeks crypt

It is the hope of Travis, according to Undertaker Martin Lorberg to obtain a crypt in the (New Lorimier Cemetery) mausoleum for the temporary burial, but as yet a crypt has not been secured. Lorberg says it will probably be from three to six months before Travis can remove the body to Brooklyn.

Mrs. Travis was 73 years, 8 months and 29 days old. She was born in Brooklyn and spent the greater part of her life in the East. She had resided in Kansas City (Missouri) for some time, however, before coming to Cape Girardeau. She leaves, besides the son, several other children, who reside in the East.

Published Dec. 16, 1920, in the Southeast Missourian:

LOANS CRYPT AT MAUSOLEUM IN EMERGENCY

* * *
BODY OF MRS. TRAVIS IS LAID AWAY HERE BY HER SON

The body of Mrs. Hannah Amelia Travis, who died at the home of Robert Hyatt, 205 S. Sprigg St., Sunday night, was laid away temporarily in a tomb in the mausoleum in Lorimier Cemetery this afternoon.

E.C. Allen tendered the use of a crypt he owns in the mausoleum to J.H. Travis, son of the deceased, until the latter can make arrangements to take his mother's body to Brooklyn, New York, the family home, for burial.

Services over the body of Mrs. Travis were held at the Hyatt home Tuesday night, the Rev. A.B. Carson of First Baptist Church officiating.

J.H. Travis is engaged in a big undertaking in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that requires his immediate attention so he will leave his mother's body resting in the mausoleum here for about six months when he expects to remove it for final burial.

Published Nov. 8, 1923, in the Southeast Missourian:

BODY OF WOMAN WHO DIED THREE YEARS AGO BURIED

The remains of Mrs. Hannah A. Travis, aged Brooklyn, New York, woman, were laid to rest today in Lorimier Cemetery, nearly three years after she died while visiting friends in Cape Girardeau. No ceremony marked the removal of the body today from the Lorberg Undertaking Parlors, where it has remained virtually all the time since her death, to the cemetery where interment was made with only a few persons looking on.

While relatives were unable to agree on a final resting place for the body, the remains of Mrs. Travis lay in an air-tight coffin in the undertaking parlors.

A brief glimpse into the coffin where lay all that was mortal of Mrs. Travis, was given before the remains were taken to the cemetery. The embalming process had operated perfectly, Lorberg said.

The body of the aged woman was held here at the request of her son, J.H. Travis of St. Louis, a traveling man. He said at the time of her death that he wanted her buried as near where he would be permanently located as possible, but until a short time ago he had not been definitely located. He asked that she be buried in a cemetery here.

Undertakers here said that this is the first time in the history of this city that a body has been held for a long period of time.

The body was kept a short time after the woman's death in a mausoleum, but was moved back to the undertaking parlors at the request of the cemetery association.

Mrs. Travis died at the home of R.J. Hiatt, 205 S. Sprigg Street, with whom she was living at the time of her death. She was 73 years old and died suddenly from a heart lesion. Regular funeral services were held the day following her death when the body was taken to the mausoleum.

Hanna Travis is buried beneath a modest headstone in Section 3 of New Lorimier Cemetery.