Veteran dies, family notified 38 days later

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) -- A family is looking for answers, wanting to know why a veterans home never told them that their loved one had died at the facility. The man was laid to rest before they were notified.

John Brookner is buried at a Grand Rapids veterans cemetery. Wilted flowers and a stake in the ground mark the 66-year-old's grave.

Brookner died May 20 at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. But it wasn't until more than a month later that his family, which lives in Grand Traverse County, was notified of his death.

"They actually had a service for my father. They had a viewing. He had an honors burial down there and we weren't even included in that," said Karin Cascadden, Brookner's daughter.

Brookner's family found out about his death when Spectrum Hospice sent them a condolence letter offering grief counseling and services. But the family says they have yet to receive a call from Grand Rapids Home for Veterans where Brookner lived for 10 years.

24 Hour News 8 obtained a copy of Brookner's Kent County death certificate, which states he suffered from lung problems and seizures. The cause of death was ruled natural.

The family didn't make it to Grand Rapids much to see Brookner, so they appointed a guardian from the courts to better manage his affairs. They say he was not always mentally stable.

Brookner's family believes he may have requested that they not be notified of his passing.

24 Hour News 8 went to the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans for answers. The facility's director told us Brookner had indeed requested that the family not be informed of his passing and they respect his wishes. Whether that request was ever put in writing, the director is not sure.

The family argues Brookner was in no state to have such a request taken seriously.

"I just can't imagine my dad in his right mind doing that, or how someone who's in his right mind letting him make a decision like that," said Cascadden.

24 Hour News 8 spoke with two different attorneys to get some clarity, both of whom said if a court-appointed guardian was assigned for mental capacity then the family should have been informed about his care.

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HOW MANY TIMES IN THAT 38 DAYS DID YOU CALL AND CHECK ON YOUR DAD? HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU VISIT HIM?