Who has a legal right to my father's cremated remains?
You raise a very interesting question—and one that is not squarely addressed by the laws that regulate cremations and burials.
New York law, like the law in most other states, sets out a hierarchy of who has the right to control how to dispose of a person’s cremated remains, or cremains. In New York, that right goes first to the person the deceased has indicated in writing—which doesn’t sound as if it applies in your case. Second in line is the surviving spouse, which I assume is your stepmother. So she has come by your dad’s cremains rightfully.
Beyond that, however, the law is silent—although there have been some cases that have allowed a person to direct who should get cremains in a specific will provision.
The best way for you to resolve the situation may be to make a personal plea to your stepmother—or to your stepsister after her mother has died. You can hope that your stepsister would understand your interest in having this reminder of your father.
If she was close to your father, or just stubborn about handing over the cremains, you might suggest dividing them between you, which is a solution that works in some families. Or, as an alternative, you may be able to agree to bury the ashes or have them interred in a mausoleum so that all survivors could come to a particular site to visit them.
In the Catholic church this "problem" would not occur, since cremains are buried immediately following the funeral, just as the remains are. Dividing ashes is a horrible idea. It shows disrespect towards the departed. I will pray that you and your step-sister can come to a reasonable solution.
my mom who has severe alzheimers lives with me. my dad's remains also are here with us. my mom before she got bad, included in her will that her creamated remains will stay with me as well as my dad's. they are both catholic and will remain with me until someday i get a plot for them both to be together. i think that her dad's remains should go to her and not the step-sister. i hope it works out for her.
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