An Omaha family is searching for answers after the U.S. Postal Service lost an urn carrying the cremated remains of Mary Woodrow, who passed away in December at age 77.
A Love Story and a Heartbreaking Loss
Mary’s partner, Ron Westphalen, 82, described their relationship as special, despite only dating for less than a year.
“It was perfect,” Ron said. “It was like I had been dancing with her for 10 years.”
Now, Ron is struggling with a painful second loss—her missing remains.
Mailed Urn Never Arrived
Mary’s daughter, Stepheni Leguin, who grew up in Omaha but now lives in Louisiana, had to return home before her mother’s cremation. The mortuary mailed the urn to her in early January, but it never arrived.
“They had to know this was not just regular mail,” Ron said. “This was something very important, so precautions should have been taken.”
The package was labeled as containing cremated remains and was expected to arrive within two days. But more than two months later, there are no answers.
USPS Tracking Goes Cold
Tracking information shows the urn was in a post office in Omaha on January 7. However, the package never made it to Monroe, Louisiana, where Stepheni lives.
“It breaks my heart,” she said. “I don’t know where my mom’s ashes are. How am I to grieve her if I don’t even know where she is?”
Pushing for Answers
Stepheni has filed a missing mail claim with USPS, and Louisiana Rep. Julia Letlow has submitted a congressional inquiry to pressure the postal service to locate the urn.
“I know she was wanting to travel more, but this isn’t the way she would have wanted to do it,” Stepheni said.
A USPS spokesperson in Washington said they are using every resource available to resolve the situation.
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