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    MONSTROUS: School Workers Hit with 1,188 Abuse Charges in Shocking Special Ed Scandal

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    🐾 Porch Prisoners: Loose Dog Bites Woman After Trapping Man Inside His Home  

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    🚓 Kindness on Call: Deputy Steps In to Help Troubled Man at West Portsmouth Super Quick 💙 

    “I’m the One Who Stays” — Man Arrested for Toddler’s Death Posted Haunting Fatherhood Tribute Just One Day After Changing His Name 

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  • Lawrence County
  • Politics
    Cathy Coleman

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    ‘Small Steps, Big Faith’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Edges Closer to Recovery 

    Cathy Coleman

    ‘Praise God!’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Shows Remarkable Progress After Harrowing Weeks

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    Cautious Hope and Harsh Realities: New Details Emerge on Commissioner Cathy Coleman’s Condition 

    Scioto County Commissioners Cancel This Week’s Meeting 

    Robert Horton

    Sudden Twist: Horton Court Dates Scrapped Ahead of Trial 

    Cathy Coleman

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    Cathy Coleman

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  • Feel Good

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    “I Held Those Keys Tight” — One Man’s Harrowing Journey from Addiction to Hope 

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  • Obituaries
    Barbara Williams

    Karen Sue Peyton, 85 of South Webster

    Cathy Elaine Coleman

    Cathy Elaine Coleman, 71 of West Portsmouth

    Everett William Cook

    Everett William Cook, age 62 of Portsmouth

    Kim Gutierrez

    Kim Isabella Guttierrez 74 of Portsmouth

    Jeanne Szura

    Jeanne Szura 95 of Cary NC

    Barbara Williams

    Nancy Anne Sheets 92 of Portsmouth

    James Vernon Hicks Jr

    James Vernon Hicks Jr. 71 of Portsmouth

    Sonya Stapleton

    Sonya Lee Stapleton 66 of Portsmouth

    Roy Cunningham

    Roy Cunningham, 82 of Portsmouth

    Patricia Ann Thurman

    Patricia Ann Thurman, 65 of West Portsmouth

    Ann Bartlett Truitt

     Ann Bartlett Truitt, 92 of Waverly

     Cornel Cave

     Cornel Cave, 69 of Portsmouth

    Mahala Dawn Pelfrey

    Mahala Dawn Pelfrey, 49 of Lucasville

    Nancy Ackerman-Nash, 71 of Granbury

    Nancy Ackerman-Nash, 71 of Granbury

    Denver Eugene Raike

    Denver Eugene Raike, 87 of Wheelersburg

    Robin Gail Ramsey, 63 of West Portsmouth

    Geneva Mullins 78 of New Boston

    Willard Fenton

    Willard Fenton, 86, of South Webster

    Richard Lewis

    Richard Lewis, 75 of McDermott

    Judy Gayle (Wells) Scifres

    Judy Gayle Scifres, 74 of South Shore,

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Ohio COVID Funeral Restrictions ‘Heartbreaking’

Cyn Mackley by Cyn Mackley
5 years ago
in Public Safety
Funeral
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(Portsmouth, Ohio) The restrictions on funeral services during COVID in Ohio and around the country are ‘heartbreaking’ for a Portsmouth funeral director. Dawn Scott said it’s painful to see families deprived of their traditional outlets for grief.  “It’s heartbreaking because we want to help people. Part of what we do is bring people together, and we can’t do it.”

Grief expert  Amy Szatanek agreed. “These times have been difficult for patients and families for sure. Historically, people have utilized funerals and services as a way to formally say goodbye to a loved one. I do believe that all of these changes have affected people’s ability to process their grief, especially if they were not able to be with their loved ones when they died.”

Dawn Scott, vice president of the Ralph F. Scott Funeral Home, said it was especially difficult at the beginning of the pandemic. Many grieving families chose to postpone memorial services. “They had a family ceremony or they just came in for a few minutes and went to the cemetery.  They put it in the paper that they’d have a memorial service at a later date.”

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She said there were some cases where people were afraid to even go to the cemetery. Scott said it happened more often during the pandemic than in her entire 30 plus years as a funeral director. “When I do that, I take pictures of the internment, so they can see what happened. I don’t want them to have questions down the road.”


Extra Safety Measures

Scott said that while funerals were exempted from COVID crowd restrictions, many families aren’t comfortable with larger groups and some mourners hesitate to show up. “We’re having more traditional services now.  It just depends on the family and their comfort level.  They are very conscious of asking what we are requiring and allowing.”

As required by state law, all employees of the funeral home wear masks and there is plenty of hand sanitizer available. “We took out a lot of the chairs and moved them farther apart,”  Scott said they clean often. “I know have an industrial-sized sprayer that every chair and every surface is cleaned.”

One change is the way guest books are handled. At first, not many mourners were attending services, so the skipped the keepsake due to concerns handling the pen could spread the virus. Now, a staff member signs in guests.

More families have requested Facebook live streams. “I think in the future we’re going to see more of it. We had people from Australia and California watching funerals.  I went around to all of the people who were there and had them say hello to the families and watched all of the streaming comments.”

The extra safety measures don’t bother Scott. ” It’s not that it’s so difficult. It just hurts that these families aren’t getting the support that they need. I like to personalize funeral services. Thinking outside the box is kind of what I enjoy.  This is a profession where you have to make split-second decisions. I enjoy knowing that I’m making these funerals as safe and as healing as possible.”

Tags: CoronavirusCOVID-19FeaturedOhioPortsmouth Ohio
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