HOUSTON – Doctors diagnosed Natividad Torres Cordova with pancreatic cancer in May. The father, grandfather and great-grandfather spent his final two weeks at home.
“To say our last goodbyes to our father, it was supposed to be perfect, ” said Susana Montelongo, daughter of Cordova. “He gave us his all, so we wanted to give him everything, perfect.”
The day of the funeral arrived at Santana Funeral Directors, and the family said the casket was late. That wasn’t too big of a deal until Maria Vasquez opened it.
Pittsburgh Post Gazette From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania On January 8, 1979 · Page 22
“I went up to the casket to tell him, ‘I love you, ’ before anybody came in, and (I) was touching the wrong person, with [my] dad’s clothes, ” she said in tears. “They ruined everything.”
Photos taken at the funeral show a man who is not Cordova wearing his special Mexico soccer jersey. Videos taken at the funeral home show family members confronting Santana employees.
Cordova Junior went with Santana employees to find his father’s body. Close to two hours later, the body of Natividad Torres Cordova arrived, but the family said his body was not prepared for a service.
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“Instead of having good memories of a perfect funeral for our father, because he deserved the best, we are having a nightmare, ” Montelongo said.
KPRC 2 reached out to the funeral director, Arnold Alanis, who declined to be interviewed. But he said, “We have always believed in serving our families.”
“Once and a while, there might be an issue with a family but we’re not at liberty to discuss that, ” Alanis added. “I feel sorry for them, they’re in grief right now with loss of a loved one.”
Vazquez Funeral Home
Vasquez said Alanis refunded the family later, but she said she had hoped that he and other employees would have shown some remorse on the day of the funeral.A beautiful funeral home in the heart of Houston with a tradition of serving one family at a time. Our professional staff carefully conduct all cremations on-site.
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Founded in the heart of Houston by renowned designer Ron Bradshaw and his partner Tripp Carter in 2003, Bradshaw-Carter was built to meet an unmet need in Houston for an elegant, warm, welcoming setting for a family to say goodbye, without the sterile look and feel of most modern-day funeral establishments. Our funeral home doesn't look like a funeral home, because we don't want it to feel like one. At Bradshaw-Carter, there is a long tradition of serving one family at a time. Guests never feel rushed, and are not bumping into strangers in our foyer. The house, with it's tasteful decor and friendly professional staff, is yours to share with your guests, allowing you to focus on what's important.It was Ron's dream to open the most beautiful funeral home in the United States; one that offers the highest level of service and professionalism. While we regularly pull out all the stops for those looking for a boutique, top-of-the-line celebration, we have always insisted on making funerals affordable. Our care is genuine, and the result is a comfortable, healing place where you can focus on your needs and finding a meaningful tribute that's right for your loved-one.
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They Ruined Everything': Houston Funeral Home Puts Wrong Body In Casket, Family Says
Complaints concerning perpetual care cemeteries should be directed to: Texas Department of Banking, 2601 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78705; 1-877/276-5554 (toll free); www.dob.texas.gov.Wrong body in casket A family in Houston was horrified to see a body that was not their relative lying in a casket at the funeral home. (Piero Cruciatti/AFP via Getty Images)
HOUSTON — A Houston family is angry at a funeral home, claiming that another man’s body was inside the casket meant for their relative.
After Natividad Torres Cordova died of pancreatic cancer, family members gathered for a service at Santana Funeral Directors, KPRC reported. The casket was late, but that did not appear to be an issue until Cordova’s daughter approached it before the service.
They Ruined Everything': Family Says Houston Funeral Home Put Wrong Body In Casket
“I went up to the casket to tell him, ‘I love you, ’ before anybody came in, and (I) was touching the wrong person, with (my) dad’s clothes, ” Maria Vasquez told the television station. “They ruined everything.”
‘They ruined everything': Houston funeral home puts wrong body in casket, family says https://t.co/JSwPd4yHpR pic.twitter.com/zszYzEGeFx— KPRC 2 Houston (@KPRC2) August 12, 2020
The body in the casket was wearing Cordova’s special Mexico soccer jersey, according to photos taken at the funeral. Videos at the funeral home show family members confronting the funeral home’s employees, KPRC reported.
Pittsburgh Post Gazette From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania On September 10, 1979 · Page 21
“It almost felt like a really mean joke, ” Natividad Cordova Jr. told the television station. “I don’t even like to talk about it.”
Cordova Jr. went with funeral home employees to find his father’s body, the Houston Chronicle reported. After two hours the body was found, but family members said it was not prepared for a service, the newspaper reported.
“Instead of having good memories of a perfect funeral for our father, because he deserved the best, we are having a nightmare, ” Susana Montelongo, another daughter of Cordova, told KPRC.
Pittsburgh Post Gazette From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania On August 20, 1984 · Page 12
Arnold Alanis, head of Santana Funeral Directors, declined to be interviewed on camera but told the television station, “We have always believed in serving our families.”
“Once in a while, there might be an issue with a family but we’re not at liberty to discuss that, ” Alanis said. “I feel sorry for them, they’re in grief right now with loss of a loved one.”
According to Vasquez, the funeral home refunded the funeral costs, but she said there did not seem to be much remorse, the Chronicle reported.
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