Advertisement

Bureaucrats add to relatives' grief

Author thumbnail
Bureaucrats add to relatives' grief

The long arm of Swedish bureaucracy has reached beyond the grave in Nässjö, where an 85 year old widower has been forced to go to court for the right to keep the ashes of his beloved wife.

Advertisement

The man and his wife had promised each other that they would be buried together at the same time. The man therefore wanted to keep the ashes until his time came too.

However, his request was rejected first by the cemetary council, then by the county administrative court. His case was then turned down by the administrative court of appeal. Finally, the supreme administrative court has decided that the man deserves a hearing and instructed the administrative court of appeal to try his case.

Meanwhile in Västervik, to the great distress of relatives, a 93 year old woman was buried in the wrong grave. Her coffin was lowered into the same grave as her parents and sister, although she'd requested to be buried with her husband.

The director of the New Cemetary in Västervik explained that the order was incorrect. The deceased will be moved to her husband's grave within a week.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also