Funeral home searches for family of deceased woman ahead of burial

Carmela Polemeni, 92, died on July 17. No family members have come forward to claim her.

Chris Keating

Aug 14, 2024, 9:21 PM

Updated 27 days ago

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A 92-year-old woman from Leonia died last month, but so far, none of her relatives have been found.
The funeral director in charge of Carmela Polemeni’s remains is now trying desperately to find a family member before she is buried.
If no one comes forward, Polimeni will be buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Hillside in what’s known as a “non-titled grave” without a headstone.
Polimeni died on July 17 while being cared for at the CareOne nursing home in Cresskill. The director at Eternity Funeral Services in Englewood says it is extremely rare to care for a person with no known relations.
Director Aree Booker says he will wait until Aug. 17 before going forward with services.
“If we don’t have any relatives come forward, then we will move forward to give her a dignified funeral service,” Booker says.
He has tried to find relatives but has come up empty.
"One contact's phone number didn’t work, the next contact was the name of a supervisor of the senior citizen building where she lived,” says Booker.
Polimeni lived in Leonia at an apartment complex for seniors. The supervisor told Booker that in 25 years, Polimeni never had any visitors.
CareOne released a comment from administrator Lisa Rhoads.
“CareOne at Cresskill was deeply saddened when Carmela Polimeni suddenly passed away,” Rhoads wrote. “She has visited CareOne at Cresskill for several short stays and is loved by the community in our building.”
Booker says some have called his funeral home with offers to pay for the funeral service. He says he's reached out to local police to see if they're legitimate.