Man's cremated remains lost in mail
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Kevin O'Grady was the kind of guy who was never late.
"If he told you he'd pick you up at 5 o'clock, he'd get there by 4:59," the Air Force veteran and upholstery expert's youngest daughter, Katy O'Grady, recalled. "He was always early."
He also was the kind of guy who put work and his commitments to others first, which meant his dream trip to the East Coast and places like Chicago kept getting pushed back year after year - right up to the day he died at age 73 while undergoing treatment in Seattle for lymphoma.
And that's partly why his family's hearts were so heavy last month when the unthinkable happened.
O'Grady's remains went missing.
After a lifetime of punctuality, he missed his own funeral at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery on Spokane's West Plains.
"The post office lost him," Katy O'Grady explained. "We were devastated. Nobody could tell us where Dad went."
Turns out Kevin O'Grady got that trip to the East Coast after all.
A mix-up at the post office in Seattle, where his ashes were supposed to be loaded up for an overnight trip to Spokane, instead sent O'Grady's remains on an unexpected cross-country journey to many of the places he'd always wanted to visit.
On the day of his funeral, for example, the postal tracking number showed he'd been mistakenly routed to Pennsylvania. Then, as his friends and family were celebrating his life with bowls of chili in Spokane, he was traversing parts of New Jersey. Later, the westbound truck bringing the package back to the Pacific Northwest passed through the southern suburbs of Chicago, one of the cities he'd most wanted to visit.
The realization engulfed the family like a comforting hug from beyond.
"It hit me the minute we found out he'd somehow ended up in Philadelphia," said oldest daughter Shana MacVicar. "I just started laughing and couldn't stop. Dad got his trip."
With the exception of a stint in the U.S. Air Force, Kevin O'Grady spent most of his life in Eastern Washington but always talked about traveling the United States. He owned and operated O'Grady's Upholstery in Hillyard for years, then worked in downtown Spokane. His specialty was custom upholstery, and he was routinely sought out by vintage auto enthusiasts restoring old cars.
Those who knew him are still chuckling about the snafu.
"If he was here he'd be laughing with us," Katy O'Grady said. "And the fact that he got to travel on the post office's dime, he'd have loved it."
Sending human remains through the U.S. Postal Service is permitted but must be disclosed in advance and shipped either by express or registered mail, said Sharon Wesselman, a Postal Service spokeswoman in Spokane.
The package containing O'Grady's ashes was sent from Seattle by certified instead of registered mail, though it's unclear whether that had anything to do with the mix-up. It finally arrived in Spokane on Jan. 22, about a week late.
"It's very unfortunate what happened," said Wesselman, extending her apologies to the O'Grady family and adding that it's rare for packages to get so misrouted. "We really do try hard."
The rarity of such mistakes is what gives the O'Grady's family even more pause.
"I don't believe in accidents," MacVicar said. "I feel there's a blessing here. I miss my dad, but it also puts me at peace."
"If he told you he'd pick you up at 5 o'clock, he'd get there by 4:59," the Air Force veteran and upholstery expert's youngest daughter, Katy O'Grady, recalled. "He was always early."
He also was the kind of guy who put work and his commitments to others first, which meant his dream trip to the East Coast and places like Chicago kept getting pushed back year after year - right up to the day he died at age 73 while undergoing treatment in Seattle for lymphoma.
And that's partly why his family's hearts were so heavy last month when the unthinkable happened.
O'Grady's remains went missing.
After a lifetime of punctuality, he missed his own funeral at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery on Spokane's West Plains.
"The post office lost him," Katy O'Grady explained. "We were devastated. Nobody could tell us where Dad went."
Turns out Kevin O'Grady got that trip to the East Coast after all.
A mix-up at the post office in Seattle, where his ashes were supposed to be loaded up for an overnight trip to Spokane, instead sent O'Grady's remains on an unexpected cross-country journey to many of the places he'd always wanted to visit.
On the day of his funeral, for example, the postal tracking number showed he'd been mistakenly routed to Pennsylvania. Then, as his friends and family were celebrating his life with bowls of chili in Spokane, he was traversing parts of New Jersey. Later, the westbound truck bringing the package back to the Pacific Northwest passed through the southern suburbs of Chicago, one of the cities he'd most wanted to visit.
The realization engulfed the family like a comforting hug from beyond.
"It hit me the minute we found out he'd somehow ended up in Philadelphia," said oldest daughter Shana MacVicar. "I just started laughing and couldn't stop. Dad got his trip."
With the exception of a stint in the U.S. Air Force, Kevin O'Grady spent most of his life in Eastern Washington but always talked about traveling the United States. He owned and operated O'Grady's Upholstery in Hillyard for years, then worked in downtown Spokane. His specialty was custom upholstery, and he was routinely sought out by vintage auto enthusiasts restoring old cars.
Those who knew him are still chuckling about the snafu.
"If he was here he'd be laughing with us," Katy O'Grady said. "And the fact that he got to travel on the post office's dime, he'd have loved it."
Sending human remains through the U.S. Postal Service is permitted but must be disclosed in advance and shipped either by express or registered mail, said Sharon Wesselman, a Postal Service spokeswoman in Spokane.
The package containing O'Grady's ashes was sent from Seattle by certified instead of registered mail, though it's unclear whether that had anything to do with the mix-up. It finally arrived in Spokane on Jan. 22, about a week late.
"It's very unfortunate what happened," said Wesselman, extending her apologies to the O'Grady family and adding that it's rare for packages to get so misrouted. "We really do try hard."
The rarity of such mistakes is what gives the O'Grady's family even more pause.
"I don't believe in accidents," MacVicar said. "I feel there's a blessing here. I miss my dad, but it also puts me at peace."
I'm glad they have a positive outlook and they got their father's remains eventually. Last summer I mailed 80 Save-The-Date postcards for our wedding at a drop box outside a USPS office to households within a 20 mile radius of our house. The postcards had pre-printed address labels and pre-printed return address labels. Only about 2/3 arrived and not a single postcard was returned to us. Two weeks ago a friend mailed cash in a birthday greeting card to his son (admitted not a good idea) and the envelope arrived with no cash and tape holding it shut where it was opened. I could go on and on and on... Christmas cards that don't arrive... rent checks that don't arrive...
What matters is his soul.....which has moved on. Why lament over dust?
Glad th family has the wonderful attitude. Years ago a friend of mine was charged with transporting several cremated remains on the same day. He knocked two over and they spilled on the garage floor. The contents landed together and mixed. He swept them up together and placed 1/2 in each urn. Then continued his delivery. It turned out that the two that had unfortunately mixed and delivered to seperate destinations were the remains of a double suicide of a couple in there 90's. Now tohether forever.
Did Kevin ever want to go swimming with the dolphins in Jamaca??
Please send my remains to Spokane. But they went to Pennsylvania, hhhmmm, Pennsylvania dosen't sound like Spokane so let's ship them to New Jersey. That's the ticket. Wait a minute, New Jersey does not sound like Spokane. HHHHmmm, what to do. Instead of reading the shipping slip, let's ship them to Chicago. Someone in Chicago can read and thought, hey lets ship this to Spokane. How in Gods green earth does Spokane look like Pennsylvania? Maybe this was Gods way of saying, "this one is on me". RIP and thank you for your service sir.
@NightshiftÂ
Because USPS does not actually "read" the labels - everything is done by zip codes & bar codes. If the wrong data is put in the system tied to a package, that package will travel to where the data says it is supposed to go - not necessarily where the label says it should be going.
Everything happens for a reason :)
I lol'd, as the irony and humor pervade this story. Really glad the family is taking it in stride. A good and decent ending too.
I am glad this family has been able to find humor in this mishap and I am glad they have their family member returned to them. Rest in peace.
I found this story funny, hilarious actually :D he got his trip after all
I would have guessed that he'd have ended up in the dead letter department. I guess a trip through the country wasn't quite as bad. No wonder the postal service is going broke...