Merced families go to streets to cover funeral costs

When David Schindler died unexpectedly last week, his family was stunned not only by the 44-year-old man’s death but by the need to suddenly raise money for his cremation.

Having long suffered from mental disability, the longtime Merced resident had no personal income and his relatives, having experienced job layoffs and other struggles, found themselves unequipped to pay for the handling of his remains. So they decided to have a bake sale.

The Schindler family stood near Highway 59 and Olive Avenue on Tuesday, waving to passing motorists and offering baked goods and cups of hot chocolate – 50 cents for a small and $1 for a large.

“We didn’t want people feeling they were handing out money for nothing,” his sister, Christina Schindler, said Tuesday.

It’s not uncommon to see Merced families standing on busy roadsides, homemade signs in hand bearing the photos of loved ones whom they are trying to bury or cremate.

A mile away at Olive Avenue and R Street, relatives of Bobby Lee Harris Sr., sought donations Tuesday to pay for his funeral. They hope to raise $2,000 by Feb. 1.

“It feels a little weird, but I’ll do what I have to do to get him buried,” said Betty Harris-Gholson, who said her stepfather died in his sleep on Jan. 10. Some passers-by say “keep your head up. Sorry for your loss,” she said. Others just look the other way.

As she spoke, a man approached asking, “Is this for Bobby?” He dropped money into a can on the sidewalk before walking away.

Lt. Kim Boyd of the Merced Salvation Army said her organization is unaware of any program in Merced County to help families in such situations. During the charity group’s annual A Helping Hand at Christmas assistance program, she said, they will see a few families come in asking for emergency help to pay for the burial of a loved one. A burial is more expensive than a cremation, she said, “but either option is costly when you’re poor.”

Boyd said she is surprised by the number of Merced families taking to the streets to pay for funerals.

“I’ve lived several places, and I’ve never seen that as much as I do here.”

The coroner’s office of the Merced County sheriff does pay for a minimal number of cremations, county spokesman Mike North said. But families are asked to contribute what they can and all requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

April Eastman, who answered the phone Tuesday at Whitton Family Funeral Service, said families often seek funeral donations “with the economy the way it is, and unemployment.”

“Even if they can’t afford a large funeral,” she said, “people are doing cremations and they are trying to raise money, those that don’t have the funds, so that they can at least cremate their loved ones.”

Whitton has discounted the cost of cremation for the Schindlers, but even with that benefit, the family still hopes to come up with $800 by Friday, Christina Schindler said.

Since his teen years, David Schindler struggled with schizophrenia, his sister said. “By the time he was 19, he was gone,” she said. His family cared for him as best as they could and when he was on his medication, Cristina said, “he was a lovely man.”

David suffered a seizure that caused his brain to go without oxygen, his family said. He died Jan. 4 at a hospital in Modesto, said his niece, Melissa Schindler, who was among the relatives selling hot chocolate, cookies and muffins on the roadside.

“It’s hard, but there’s a lot of good people here,” she said.

Christina Schindler, who largely grew up in Merced and recently returned after living in Oregon, said she is trying to find work as a cook, but the sudden death of her brother has kept her busy, making it hard for her to keep up with the job search.

A family friend has already donated an urn they hope to use to hold her brother’s remains, she said.

“We just want to bring him home.”

This story was originally published January 12, 2016 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Merced families go to streets to cover funeral costs."