Shocked family discovers wrong man in casket at father's funeral

A family is still in shock after learning during their loved one's funeral that the body in the casket was someone else.

Jerry D. Moon, 72, of the southern Washington town of Castle Rock, died earlier this month at a hospice in a neighboring town.

At his funeral Oct. 21, the family wanted to say a final good-bye and asked that his casket be opened.

They were taken aback to see another man, who was at least 20 years older than Moon, said one of his sons, Randy Moon, of Chehalis, Wash.

In contrast to his father, the man in the casket was "not in very good shape," Randy Moon said.

"My sister and I were with him when he was passing on the very last day," Moon said. "We commented on how good he still looked, like a healthy man, even though he had cancer so bad."

According to KIRO-TV in Seattle, the man in the casket had a plastic bag over his head and was wearing Jerry Moon's clothes. A photo of Moon and his wife was inside the casket, KIRO said.

One of the worst aspects of the situation, Randy Moon said, was that his father ended up being cremated, much against his own wishes and those of the family.

Death care company Service Corporation International is headquartered in Houston at 1929 Allen Parkway. Death care company Service Corporation International is headquartered in Houston at 1929 Allen Parkway. Photo: Katherine Feser, Houston Chronicle Photo: Katherine Feser, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Shocked family discovers wrong man in casket at father's funeral 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

"We are devastated by that," he said.

The funeral took place at Brown Mortuary in Chehalis, Wash., part of Houston-based Service Corporation International.

In response to questions about the incident, the company said it does not comment specifically on any client families or their situations. It provided this statement:

"We believe we have the very best training in the industry and that our policies and procedures are outstanding. However, from time to time mistakes are made. When that happens, our policy is one of full disclosure to the family and we work with them to come to an accord."

Randy Moon said funeral home representatives had names and phone numbers of six or seven family members involved in planning Jerry Moon's service but none of them received a call within the promised two hours after the funeral.

"We all waited at the reception, hoping that ultimately we would end up having a graveside service anyway by finding our dad," he said. "I still haven't received a call. I feel we each should have gotten a call by now."

The family is eager to learn how the confusion occurred and to get on with the grieving process, he said.

"We're sure ready to receive some sort of remains so we can put them where he wanted to be honored, so we can go there and have a memorial," he said.

Jerry Moon is survived by his wife, Janice Moon, four children and two step-children, two brothers and numerous extended family members.