Lazarus Field Service honors those who died without means or family to provide a funeral
The bell at Beal Memorial Cemetery rang 44 times Wednesday morning, once for each of the individuals being honored and buried as part of the annual Lazarus Field Service.
The annual service is meant to honor those people in Okaloosa County who have died without the means or family to pay for their burial. The event’s name comes from the Biblical parable of the beggar Lazarus and the rich man who ignored his pleas for help.
More than 100 community leaders, clergy and members of the public gathered at the cemetery to read scripture, sing hymns and listen as each of the 44 names were read aloud. The group of deceased ranged in age from 29 to 90.
“There are many who die among us who are forgotten, some are infants and some are just older people,” said Okaloosa County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel. “Some are just middle-aged people that die without anybody to really see them to their end.”
This is the sixth year for the event, which began when Ketchel asked a simple question.
“It’s a state requirement that the county cremate the individuals,” Ketchel said. “But what happens to them afterward?”
Ketchel checked with local funeral homes and found that these cremains were just being stored onsite.
“We collected over 400 cremains and called the ecumenical community together and said ‘how about a wonderful funeral?’” Ketchel said.
Local pastors took up a collection and purchased seven burial plots at Beal Memorial Cemetery. To date, Ketchel estimates they’ve interred the ashes of about 700 people. The plots sit on the eastern side of the cemetery and there are two inscribed stone benches there for people to sit and reflect.
Over time, the service has grown in size to include more than 20 local churches. And while Okaloosa County may be the first to honor the forgotten individuals with a memorial service, they’re no longer alone in this tradition. Ketchel said that Alachua County has recently started a similar program, and she hopes to see it catch on with Florida’s other counties.
“I would say they were forgotten in life,” Ketchel said. “So this is so beautiful that our community said no, we’re going to make sure these folks are buried properly and have a service, a great sendoff.”
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Lazarus service in Fort Walton Beach honors those forgotten in death
