An N.L. man’s remains have gone unclaimed for years. These two want to bring him home

ST. JOHN’S — Two Newfoundland bar owners are raising money to help bury a man whose name is on a newly released list of 26 people who died in the province and were left unclaimed — some for more than three years.

Gord French said he was confused and heartbroken to see Rendell Crane among the list of deceased people being kept in freezers in St. John’s by Newfoundland and Labrador’s health authority. The list published last week said Crane died in Harbour Grace, N.L., on Dec. 13, 2023. He was 72.

Read More:

• Premiers huddle with Carney in Saskatoon to decide what major projects to prioritize
• Cool temperatures, chance of rain as crews battle wildfires near Flin Flon, Man.
• Ports, mines and pipelines top premiers’ wish lists ahead of meeting with Carney

“He was a wonderful person,” French, the owner of Easton’s 1602 Pub in Harbour Grace, said in an interview. “You know a really good person, somebody who smiles and is just a sweetheart? That’s Rendell Crane.”

Crane’s wife was buried in Harbour Grace in 2007, he said, and Rendell’s name is on the gravestone in a cemetery in the heart of the small fishing community. French has teamed up with Pauline Yetman, who owns the Route 66 Diner and Pub in nearby Carbonear, N.L., to raise enough money to lay Crane to rest next to his wife.

“He is a member of our community,” Yetman said. “He should be home.”

Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services published the list online on May 28 after more than a year of media reports about the number of unclaimed bodies being kept in storage freezers at a hospital complex in St. John’s. The list was published according to new legislation allowing the health authority to bury or cremate unclaimed remains if a search for someone to take responsibility them is unsuccessful.

It contains names of 26 deceased people across the province who haven’t been claimed, along with their age and the date and location of their death. All but three were older than 65.

“If you are a relative, friend, or someone who wishes to claim the remains, please contact us,” the web page says.

The roster has triggered a kind of collective grief. Many have posted it to social media, prompting comments from people expressing shock and sadness that so many have been left alone in death.

Bev Fraize was angry to see her friend since childhood, Suzanne Bennett, on the list. Fraize has been trying to claim and bury Bennett since her death in February at the age of 62. Officials had previously “stonewalled” her because she is not Bennett’s official next of kin, Fraize said.

“She always called me her sister,” Fraize said in an interview. “I was listed as her next of kin at the hospital because I always got calls about her appointments.”

Bennett was generous and kind, sometimes to a fault, Fraize said. “She had it hard, but she always had a smile on her face.”

Fraize had given up her efforts to claim her friend’s remains, but resumed them “immediately” after seeing Bennett’s name on the list, she said. She emailed the health authority and someone responded saying officials would be in touch, she said.

Ron Johnson, the health authority’s chief operating officer, said officials will try to work with anyone who steps forward, including friends and community members. He would not comment on specific cases.

“The goal here is to work with them to help get these people a dignified burial,” Johnson told reporters in St. John’s.

He said he didn’t know why so many people were left alone after they died.

“I don’t know what’s happening,” he said. “This issue is happening all over the country, where there’s more people being unclaimed.”

On Saturday afternoon, people packed Yetman’s pub to sing and play music at a fundraiser for Crane’s burial. The event raised about $600, she said. French is hosting a fundraiser at his pub this week.

She and French are in touch with members of Crane’s family, who have begun the paperwork to claim his remains. The money raised at their pubs will go to Crane’s family to help pay for a small service and burial, Yetman said. Any money left over will go to the local funeral home to help other families who need help to bury a loved one.

“No one should be in a morgue for two years,” Yetman said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press