Centre County has established a final resting place for local residents whose remains have gone unclaimed.
The cremated remains of more than 40 individuals were interred on Wednesday in the new, 16-door community columbarium at Union Cemetery in Bellefonte.
“We see the public spirit present,” Centre County Board of Commissioners Chair Mark Higgins. “The public tends to and cares for these deceased people. And we have cultivated a space for these people to rest together— essentially a public resting space.”
When no one comes forward to claim a deceased individual, their remains have been stored in the Centre County government’s Willowbank Building. Former Deputy Coroner Judith Pleskonko envisioned a community columbarium where they could be given a proper final resting place.
After Pleskonko died in 2023 while attempting to assist others at the scene of a vehicle crash, Deputy Coroner Debra Smeal and others in the coroner’s office persevered to see the project through.
“Judy’s legacy embodies the spirit of committing to the public,” Higgins said.
Union Cemetery donated the plots for the columbarium earlier this year, and the Centre County commissioners approved $19,530 to purchase the structure from Happy Valley Monuments and transport it to the cemetery.
The commissioners and coroner’s office will coordinate future
Remains will be catalogued and will be easily accessed if a claimant comes forward.
Two military veterans whose remains were unclaimed were separately interred at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville.
