FairHaven Helps Family Heal after 40 Years
A Long Journey Home: The remains of a missing Michigan teen, lost for decades, are rightfully returned to his family.
Early this week, FairHaven Funeral Home
became the host for an emotional exchange between siblings who had been separated for nearly 40 years, with hundreds of miles in between.
Unfortunately, the disappearance of Andrew Greer, Jr.
back in 1979 did not result in a happy reunion. Greer, who was only 15 at the time, died in an accident near Macon and, having no identification, had been laid to rest in an unmarked grave. His family was left to wonder.
Local News
: Missing Teen's Remains Headed Home
His half-brother, James Bowman
, couldn't forget his charming older brother and couldn't let the matter go unsolved. In 2014 he began working diligently with retired Bibb County investigator Anthon Strickland
to re-open the case of his missing sibling.
"It's an unusual circumstance," Brittany Rewis
Kalejta
, funeral director at FairHaven, said. "The passage of such a long period of time would seem to insulate the family from the shock and grief, but the reality is quite different. The emotions just flood right back."
Rewis Kalejta said that being able to say good bye and having tangible evidence of a family member's passing can be important to the family's ability to grieve and recover. "They never really had the chance to do that," she said.
FairHaven Funeral Home was notified by officials, who counted on their expertise in properly preparing and returning the remains to Mr. Bowman and his family.
More on the Story:
'We Got Closure' : Michigan Family Recovers Missing Teen...
FairHaven Funeral Home in Macon is a full-service end-of-life care provider. We are also well versed in grief counselling and commonly assist families who've undergone loss. To learn more about our services and support, browse our website or call (478) 788-2929.
