My name is Jill Romann, and I am your Douglas County coroner. I would like to acknowledge another act of kindness which occurred here in our Douglas County. This act was one of those unsolicited gestures that you should know about.

The circumstances involved the deaths of two newborn children and the death of an adult. Each incident was unrelated to the other. These tragic deaths were not due to malice, but perhaps the result of neglect, ignorance, or mental illness. The next of kin could not be discovered in a case, and the circumstances remained so obscure the three abandoned souls seemed lost in the ethernet.

Rather than allow those tragic deaths go unacknowledged, several Douglas County residents took it upon themselves to provide Christian memorial services for the victims. Heflebower Funeral & Cremation Services donated cremation services. Seven Stones Botanical Gardens Cemetery donated final disposition. Three local pastors, Doug from Plum Creek Church, Mike from New Covenant Church, and Brian from Summit Church were kind enough to provide final memorial comments during a heartfelt service. Mercedes with one of the churches, aligned them all with grace. A Douglas County engraver is now crafting burial markers for each decedent. All free of charge.

They did not question about their role amidst these life tragedies, nor understand the reasons for these deaths. They just opened their hearts and let buckets of goodness pour onto these souls. The umbrella of Douglas County kindness that exists in our community should always be made transparent. God bless those that contributed to the memorial service and those 50 individuals, including Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Douglas County Coroner’s Office, that attended the service.

Jill Romann

Douglas County coroner