Community Rallies to Ensure Proper Burial for 92-Year-Old North Jersey Woman

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Englewood NJ, Funeral services are set to take place in early September for Carmela Polimeni, a 92-year-old North Jersey woman whose body remained unclaimed after her death last month. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of the community, Polimeni will be laid to rest with dignity.

Carmela Polimeni passed away on July 17 at the CareOne nursing facility in Cresskill. With no immediate family to claim her body, Eternity Funeral Services in Englewood took responsibility for her remains. Despite their efforts to locate her next of kin, including placing a notice in The Record, no relatives came forward.

However, after hearing Polimeni’s story, community members stepped up, offering donations to cover funeral expenses. One generous individual even donated a gravesite to ensure Polimeni wouldn’t be buried in an unmarked grave. Aree Booker, Eternity’s executive director, expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support, highlighting how quickly the community came together to help.

Funeral Arrangements and Community Involvement

Polimeni’s funeral services will begin with visitation on Wednesday, September 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. and again from 6 to 8 p.m. at Eternity Funeral Services, located at 129 Engle St. in Englewood. A Mass will follow on Thursday, September 5, at 10:30 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Church in Leonia, where Polimeni was a parishioner. For those unable to attend in person, the service will be livestreamed on Facebook.

Polimeni will be laid to rest at 1 p.m. in Rockland Cemetery in Sparkill, New York.

A Community’s Tribute to a Beloved Neighbor

Though Polimeni had no surviving relatives, she was remembered fondly by those who knew her during her stays at CareOne, where she was described as “beloved” by the community. In a heartwarming gesture, CareOne announced it would cover the costs of her funeral and burial.

The broader North Jersey community and beyond have also shown their support through donations and tributes online. A “tribute fund” on the Eternity website has raised nearly $5,900 from 85 donors as of Sunday afternoon, with several $1,000 contributions made anonymously. Many commenters expressed their hope that Polimeni would receive a respectful burial, with one noting that, though she may have died without family, she was certainly loved and had likely touched many lives.

Despite numerous efforts to trace Polimeni’s family, including searches through genealogy records and local police inquiries in Italy, no relatives were found. Polimeni, who was unmarried and without children, had lived a quiet life, with no visitors at her apartment according to the housing manager.

In the end, it was the kindness of strangers and the strong sense of community in North Jersey that ensured Carmela Polimeni would be remembered and honored.

 

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