WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, Manhattan (WABC) — The daughters of a man who requested a direct cremation have filed a lawsuit against R.G. Ortiz Funeral Home in Washington Heights, alleging their father’s body was mistakenly placed in another man’s casket and displayed during a wake intended for a different family.
Jose Luis Diaz was known for taking pride in his appearance, according to his family. His stepdaughter, Shirley Leyro, said he specifically requested a direct cremation because he did not want people to see him after illness had taken a toll on his appearance.
“He wanted strict straight cremation because he didn’t want anyone to see him. He had lost a lot of weight, he was sick. He didn’t want to be remembered that way,” Leyro said.
Leyro and her sister, Jennifer Diaz, believed they had honored that wish after receiving their father’s ashes following his death in May. They said they later learned that their father had been given a wake at R.G. Ortiz Funeral Home and placed in another man’s casket for the wrong family to view.
“This is what gets me so beyond angry and painful right because I think about what they did to his body. And he would have been so horrified he was a proud man. Always wanted to look sharp. And to know they treated his body with such disrespect,” Leyro said.
Daughters Sue Washington Heights Funeral Home Over Alleged Mix-Up
