About 60 people gathered at Artifacts 302 on Wednesday, Dec. 21, to show their respects for the surprisingly large number of “unclaimed” deceased people in San Juan County in 2022. The Rev. Megan Cullip, chaplain and community outreach director for Basin Hospice, conducted the Fourth Annual Memorial for the Unclaimed.
“I was inspired because this is what beauty looks like, a community of people coming together to honor the lives of strangers,” Cullip said. “Loving our neighbor.”
The service began with Noah Manz playing a Tommy Emmanuel arrangement of “Amazing Grace” on electric guitar.
Manz said it was his first year to play in front of people – he’d played for the virtual memorials during the pandemic. “It’s cool – pretty nice,” he said.
Cullip welcomed the group by relating how she was inspired to create the memorial. She did some research and found out that the county has to claim them.
“The thought occurred to me, what happens when somebody dies and there’s no one around?” she said. “It led me to believe that we didn’t really have any formal laying-to-rest for these folks.”
After the poem, “A Love Story,” by Jeanie Greensfelder, read by Liesl Dees, Cullip gave a brief message.
“We are here tonight to bear witness to these 26 individuals who died without anyone to claim their remains … I posit that bearing witness is of value and a complete action, in and of itself,” she said. “Typical memorial service you hear stories about careers, parties, success, trips … but we don’t have that tonight. For these individuals all we have is the names.”
The “Reading of the Names” was done by Lisa Gomez and Scott Michlin, with bells rung after each name by representatives from the Farmington Fire Department, Jacob Fuller and Gary Groomer.
Those named during the reverent tribute were: Ezekiel Benedict, Tom Bevers, Robert Bibiano, Karel Ann Crispin, Charles Crooks, Marion Dudgeon, Mark Fulton, Darrell Hardy, Jessica Herrera, Margaret Hutto, Melvin Kiker, Joyce Ilene Lane, James Lasater, Gary Dean Lewis, Linda Maloy, Anita Maynard, Michael McAfee, Gordon Lee Orr, Samuel Powers, Dorothy Pugh, Tina Sanchez, Jazmine Schule, Sharon Schuler, Robert Shelton, Kenneth D. Vaught and Patricia Wilson. The program included the recorded date of their death.
Robyn Woodard played piano and harmonized with Amber Swenk, as they performed Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High on That Mountain.”
The “Candle Lighting Liturgy” was offered by Jasmine Miranda, with Woodard and Swenk performing Teresa Jennings’ “A Candle for Remembering.” Electronic candles were provided by Presbyterian Medical Services.
The tribute, held on the winter solstice, closed after Jennifer Johnson, accompanied on piano by James Golden, sang the Jewel song, “No More Tears.”
During a phone interview Tuesday, Cullip said the county takes care of the remains, but they have to hold them for two years. They must allow that time for someone to step forward and claim them. She said her contact, head of indigent fund for the county, had a list of names of the unclaimed deceased.
In 2018, Cullip moved to Farmington to serve as pastor of First Presbyterian Church, a position she filled for two years, followed by her current role with Basin Hospice. The first Memorial for the Unclaimed was held there, but she pointed out the service is nondenominational in format.
She has wide-ranging interests and roles in the community. Her radio show, Radio Free Saturday Morning, can be heard at 9 a.m. every Saturday on KSJE radio. Her previous radio experience was at Princeton University, where she attended divinity school.
Cullip grew up in San Antonio and attended the University of Texas-San Antonio. Her move to Farmington was “major culture shock” after moving there in 2018, she said.
“Like coming from Connecticut, what the hell did I just do, like oh my God, it’s so small and it’s in the middle of the desert,” she said.
Cullip has taught theology, philosophy and “end-of-life issues” for the Encore program at the college. The community activist said she loves it here now.
“This community is lovely, it affords so many opportunities,” she said. “What do you want to do – great – do it.”
She joins KSJE’s director, Scott Michlin, for two Friday morning shows, which encourage community input and interaction. “Solutions from the Street” and “That’s Interesting” give listeners an opportunity to express themselves on the radio.
“Oh, I love it . It’s the coolest side hustle you could have,” Megan said about her involvement with KSJE radio, based at San Juan College.
“We know we can’t fix death, but we can provide comfort,” is how she describes the challenge of coping with what be can sometimes be a stressful job. Her approach is to not focus as much on the death part as the comfort part in helping people and families.
You can’t hide death, but you can face it, and thus, live more fully and freely. This reflects the philosophy of Cullip. “Live up to the challenge to be real,” she said during the service.
