He Knows Your Name works to ensure that everyone is laid to rest with respect
By AMY ADAMS
news@readthereporter.com
On Thursday, April 4, a couple dozen people gathered in the cold rain at the ossuary at Prairie Waters Funeral and Event Center in Westfield to pay their last respects to George Podolan. However, no one in attendance had ever met the man.
Podolan passed away in his Carmel home on January 25, 2023, at the age of 77, and his remains have been in the care of the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office for more than a year.
“Even though we didn’t not know him in life, we know him here in death,” said Linda Znachko, founder of He Knows Your Name.
Znachko’s organization is rooted in the conviction that every life is sacred to God and gives children and adults dignity in death by celebrating their life. The memorial service marked the first time that He Knows Your Name has laid to rest unclaimed remains in Hamilton County.
A marker bears the name of George Podolan with room for the names of more unclaimed decedents to be added in the future. (Reporter photo by Amy Adams)
“This allows them to have that special ceremony that we all hope to have versus remains being in storage for years and years,” said Sarah Cox Dedrick, senior public relations and marketing strategist with Pence Media Group, who attended the interment service.
Znachko, who lives in Indianapolis, began the organization in 2009 following a phone call to a coroner’s office regarding a news story she saw about a baby found in a dumpster. She felt called to action.
“Once we know about something, we’re responsible for it,” Znachko said.
In September 2022, He Knows Your Name helped lay 173 unclaimed adult decedents to rest in partnership with the Marion County Coroner’s Office. They invited every coroner in the state. Only Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison attended.
“I realized this was a new relationship starting,” Znachko said. “We are honored to partner with the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office and applaud their recognition of the need to honor George’s life.”
She described those who work in coroners’ offices as being “somewhat invisible” first responders who are not often thanked or recognized for what they do.
“Today is not about organizations, and it’s not about coroners,” Jellison said. “It’s about dignity. No one deserves to sit on a shelf. Everyone deserves a resting place.”
Znachko speaks of the importance of dignity in death. (Reporter photo by Amy Adams)
The ossuary which includes stones, markers, plantings, and benches has been in place at Prairie Waters for about three years, and there are plans for expansion, according to Flanner Buchanan Vice President of Advanced Planning Ben Upton. A family-owned business, Flanner Buchanan has offered burial and cremation services to families in the Indianapolis area for 140 years.
A public marker in the ossuary will memorialize not only Podolan but also future unclaimed persons in Hamilton County. Plans include an annual ceremony similar to the third such Marion County event which will be held at Floral Park Cemetery in Indianapolis sometime in June.
“This is not happening anywhere else in the country,” Znachko said.
She hopes these partnerships will raise awareness across the state and the greater U.S. about affordable burial options to ensure every individual is laid to rest in a respectful manner.
Znachko points out that “unclaimed” doesn’t mean unidentified, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that these people don’t have family members who have been contacted. It means that no one came to pick up the remains in order to properly inter them. Funeral homes have hundreds of unclaimed, according to Znachko.
“I find it appalling,” she said. “It’s disrespectful to human life.”
In the past 15 years, Znachko has helped honor nearly 400 adults and 50 babies in their deaths.
“I don’t step off the grass without my next assignment,” she said. “There’s so much to do.”
Znachko encourages everyone to help make a difference by asking the hard questions within their own families to make sure that any remains of relatives have been picked up.
To find out more, visit HeKnowsYourName.org.
A dove was released at the ceremony. (Reporter photo by Amy Adams)