The U.S. Postal Service lost a woman's ashes

The U.S. Postal Service lost a woman's ashes
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The family of a deceased Ohio woman was forced to attend a funeral without her remains — and it's all the U.S. Postal Service's fault.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that Barbara Kirkendall's remains were never delivered to her husband. The former, 80, died on Nov. 5 after suffering from a blood infection and was cremated.

Norman Kirkendall, her husband, ordered the Priority Mail Express 1-Day service, but the package didn't arrive.

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"I feel like I've lost her," Kirkendall told The Columbus Dispatch. The Kirkendalls had been married for 61 years and had five children.

Meanwhile, David Van Allen, a spokesperson for the Postal Service, said the agency is conducting a "vigilant search" for the ashes.

The family held a memorial service without Kirkendall's remains, but they have delayed a military burial (she was an Air Force veteran) until the ashes are located.

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Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.