The children of a Dublin woman who wanted to be buried with her husband is suing a funeral home, alleging she was mistakenly cremated instead.
Nancy Anders died May 28, 2025, at the age of 83. Her children filed the lawsuit in June 2 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court against Tidd Funeral Home, its owner, Rick Tidd, and several other employees.
The Dispatch has reached out to the funeral home through a phone message and email seeking comment for this story.
Anders’ children are seeking unspecified monetary damages for negligence, intentional and negligent infliction of extreme emotional distress and breach of contract for an action the lawsuit says is “irreversible.”
Prior to her death, Anders made detailed plans for how she wanted her funeral and burial to be handled. Anders expressly requested, in writing, that she be interred with her husband.
Anders’ husband of more than 60 years, John Anders, died in 2023. John Anders was buried in Union Cemetery in north Columbus.
The lawsuit says Anders asked that her husband’s body be disinterred and she be buried in the same casket so they would be able to spend eternity together.
“Her requests were meticulously detailed as to the placement of their bodies, her hands and the clothes to beworn. Cremation was never an option as it was expressly contrary to her personal beliefs,” the lawsuit said.
Because her husband was already buried, an order from Franklin County Probate Court granting the disinterment needed to be obtained.
The lawsuit alleges that Tidd Funeral Home, which Anders trusted with arrangements, ensured Anders’ children that they would be able to store her remains until the appropriate time and then fulfill her wishes.
About 10 days after Anders’ death, her children met with Rick Tidd, who the lawsuit says informed them that Anders was cremated.
The lawsuit alleges the funeral home described the mix-up as an accident.
“Nancy Anders did not believe in cremation,” the lawsuit says. “Plaintiffs have endured sleepless nights, suffered physical illness and emotional trauma, serious injury and experienced severe mental anguish knowing that their mother’s final wishes were ignored and that she had been cremated against her express wishes which were known toDefendants.”
The lawsuit accuses Tidd Funeral Home of being negligent and not having proper protocols in place to ensure that the bodies being taken for cremation were properly identified and verification of their wishes being done.
“Defendants’ cremation of Nancy Anders without authorization, knowing that cremation was against her beliefs, was so reckless, extreme and outrageous as to go beyond the bounds of decency and would be considered utterly intolerable in a civilized society,” the lawsuit says.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Dublin woman’s family sues funeral home, alleging accidental cremation
Reporting by Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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