Assistance for Those Who are Searching for Answers

First of all I would like to suggest that each of you fighting this fight for your next of kin, to get as much as possible in writing. If you have email, obtain email addresses for those you want to contact and share them with others. Do everything in writing so that their answers are in written formats. If we are ever going to be able to go after them for unethical behavior, we will need the proof! So if you can at all, put your requests in writing and request that your answers are put in writing also.

For those of you, such as Chloe and others having issues with the way that the funeral home handled your loved one, I am suggesting that we all write letters or call this organization with our stories about our situations. See what the ethics board and committee can do about assisting us. I can't do this all by myself folks, it is going to take more than just one person to come forward in order to move anyone to do anything about this situation and the way they handle things!

By regular mail:
Arizona State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers
1400 West Washington, Suite# 230
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
By phone: (602) 542-3095

By email: information@azfuneralboard.us

Also, I was told to start with the Arizona Maricopa County Public Fiduciary Office in regards to getting answers about my mother's indigent burial. They can provide you with the information such as date of death, what funeral home they came from and why they were dealt with the way that they were... we all need to request that the FIDUCIARY office is held accountable for what is happening with our next of kin! Each of us should write a letter or call and request some answers!  Here is their contact information-- you call them or write them and hold them accountable. Feel free to use the White Tanks Angels Foundation as a reference and backing! God Bless to each in your efforts...

Security Center Building
222 North Central Avenue Suite 4100
Phoenix, AZ 85004

Hours: 8am to 5pm M-F except holidays

Phone: 602.506.5801 | Fax: 602.506.2495
After Hours: 602.506.5801 (Emergencies only) 

Well known Powerlifter, Jon Frederic Cole, laid to rest at White Tanks

I received the following message from Mary Cole, widow of Jon Cole who was an ASU graduate, power lifter and Olympic athlete for the World's Strongest Man. She is beside herself at the fact that her husband has been laid to rest in such a barren desert place. She wants nothing more than for him to have an honorable service and celebration of his wonderfully lived life of success. He did so much for so many others. It is my hopes that by publishing this story, I might be able to gain some assistance for Mary Cole and raise awareness of the issues surrounding having a loved one buried at White Tanks or other indigent cemeteries. Why would such a well known athlete end up in a pauper's grave? Makes no sense to me... Where are all the people who knew him? Mary is without funding and is paralyzed in her grief. She is in much need of support and assistance. If you are interested in linking up with her to help out, please get in contact with me on fb by messaging or friending me... or you can send me an email at cleaning44870@gmail.com make sure that you put in the subject line: Jon Cole or White Tanks.

The following is the message received from Mary Cole:

"I just want it to be known that I did not abandoned my husband Jon even though circumstances make it seem that way. We had nothing but each other when he died,(which is all you really need). We had no life insurance, and no family to help. I felt like I was paralyzed and still do. There are no words to describe how strong the love and the passion for each other was and still is. I see no future without him. We lost our house a few years prior; and, it wasn't long after Jon was put into the hospital, I lost what little bit we had left in storage, for non payment. The only income we had was his Social Security Check and since I am only 49, I do not get survival benefits, no income, no job, I had moved us out of the  studio we were living in to be with him at the hospital and nursing home facility 24/7. Because,my home was where ever he was. I am living in our truck right now. My love for him has only gotten stronger which makes being apart even harder.

My husband, Jon Frederic Cole, died on 11/29/2012 after I had the hospital take him off the life support that he had been on for 17 days. When he was rushed to the hospital on August 24, 2012, he went into Septic Shock. He fell victim to an antibiotic resistant blood infection. For three months  he fought hard to not leave me and I experienced everything with he went through. 

For the 10 short years we were married, we were never apart. I was so fortunate to be able to go to work with him every day. He was a personal strength training Coach, he was my coach, that's how we met..Jon Had been into nutrition, strength and being healthy his entire life. Jon went to ASU on a Athletic Scholarship. Jon Cole was the first strength coach at ASU. He started their weight training program, writing programs for the Football Team Coached by Frank Kusch. He was an AAU Shot Put/ Discus Thrower and represented the United States while touring Europe. He owned and operated the first weight training facility in Scottsdale AZ. The Jon Cole Systems. And he competed in the very first Strongest Man  competition along with Lou Ferrigno. Jon's portrait is in ASU'sAthletic Hall Of Fame.

If you google Jon Cole Power lifter,(and I hope you do), you can read about some of the great things he has done.

What can I do to have a nameplate put were his body is? I was going to have him cremated; Was he cremated or buried? Can someone please help me. Thank you

SincerelyMary Joann.Cole (Wife)

I have done research on this email and Jon Cole, please see this link to learn more about him http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Cole_(weightlifter)

Join FB Group and Subscribe to Blog Please (makes it easier to update everyone)

To everyone that is interested in keeping up to date with the White Tanks efforts, helping others or are requesting assistance- I am asking that you please go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/463365900408581/  and join our facebook group. It will be much easier for me to keep up with the requests and for everyone to be able to comment, enourage and dialogue with one another. There are so many of us with broken hearts over our relatives that have ended up at White Tanks and I would love for the group to be a sort of support group! I hope that you will all join and request to add to the group! God Bless to you all. I have been on vacation and have been so busy, but I assure each and every one that has requested assistance, will be given it ASAP! Also, if you have not, please SUBSCRIBE to the blog here on blogger so that you are sent emails for posts that are updated. By doing that, it will assure that I get the messages needed to everyone instead of having to make sure I send individual emails out to everyone!

Broken Hearts: Email from a daughter who lost her father

Hi Miranda, my name is Chloe and I have been searching for something, anything really on this topic and couldn't find a thing until I came across your blog post. My situation is so confusing and I don't mean to bother you and I don't know if you will read this or even respond but if you don't I understand.

My dad passed away a few weeks ago and because of the strange place he was found they took him to the medical examiner, they had to get him finger printed to find out who he was, when they notified me my cousin went and identified him and they said they had to move him to a funeral home because they couldn't keep him there any longer. I then called my funeral home paid, and made arrangements for the funeral for him to be buried next to my grandma and grandpa. I called the funeral home they transferred him to and told them I was his daughter and that I was going to have him transferred. The day he was supposed to be transferred I called them and they told me in a very rude way that they buried him that morning at white tankscemetery, it wasn't even 2 days after I had spoke with them. They told me no one had contacted them and there was no next of kin, then proceeded to tell me about their "extensive" search for next of kin (I don't know how you can do an extensive search in 48 hours) but even then I had talked to them. Now I have to get a permit to move him to where he belongs and I cant even have a proper funeral or viewing. Its hard enough losing someone you love but having someone be so heartless and rude while telling you they threw him in a box and got rid of him like nothing really hurt me. I have no idea what to do and am just looking for anyone to help or give me some kind of advice. Like I said I wont blame you if you don't reply or read this at all, It is just a shot in the dark and I am desperate. Thank you for your time if you did read this. Chloe

FIndagrave.com Has Reached Out to US

The following is an email that I have sent to the founder for findagrave.com as they wrote me an email reaching out and offering to go out and take pictures for any of our loved ones graves out there at White Tanks. If there is anyone interested in this, she is asking that we provide the plot location for our loved ones. You can call the cemetery and give them the name and dob and they can tell you where the plot is located.If you need help, please let me know and I will try to do what I can. I am sorry that you guys have not heard much from me, as I have been away from home and dealing with quite a bit lately! God Bless...

Email from FINDAGRAVE.COM

Good evening,

Have you ever heard of www.findagrave.com?  It's a wonderful group that has a large amount of members who will take volunteer photos of a headstone or cemetery.  I have received a lot of requests for this cemetery and will be headed out there trying to gather information on hours of operation and when we are welcome to visit.  I have no problem taking photos of the markers.  Maybe some of the requests have already been fulfilled through www.findagrave.com

 

Thank you,

Sarah Trumpe

623 418 6552 cell

sntrumpe@gmail.com

MY REPLY TO HER:

Sorry I am so late getting back to you, I have been terribly busy and away from home. I appreciate your assistance in indexing the burial plots at White Tanks. Its nice to think our loved ones are included and it would be really helpful in assisting people in searching for their loved ones. By putting the names and graves on findagrave.com - you would probably be doing great service to those searching for their loved ones who end up there and know nothing about it.

I searched everywhere on the internet to find my mom. I also do geneology research, so I would love to be able to attach a picture of my mother's grave site to my ancestry tree!

Thanks so much for reaching out. Please let me know if there is anything that you might need!

Miranda