When Trey Ganem heard about the shootings in Sutherland Springs, he jumped in his car and drove 100 miles to the mourning town.
The 46 year-old businessman didn’t come just to bear condolences. He had something more tangible to offer: coffins.
Ganem runs a casket design company in Edna, Texas, another small town east of Sutherland Springs.
His seven employees build personalized coffins that usually sell for about $3,500. He is offering to provide free custom-made coffins for the people slain Sunday at First Baptist Church. So far, he’s gotten requests to make 15 caskets.
“When I first started five years ago, children burned in a fire in Edna, Texas. I donated caskets to the family. I knew the kids” he told CNN. “It was the most emotional time in my life.”
The tragic news out of Sutherland Springs stirred up the same emotions for Ganem.
“Immediately my heart opened up and I was like ‘yes, we can do this,'” he said. “It’s a small town. People that felt like they were safe ended up in this tragedy.”
“What we want to do is start the healing process here,” Ganem said. “I want to make sure that we celebrate the lives of the people who were there.”
Ganem’s caskets are always personalized. For some of the younger victims, he plans to paint coffins with princesses and Barbie. The smallest one will fit a 1-year-old girl.
He sees his gesture as a way to help grieving families get through their darkest time.
“We want people to know that we are here for them. We are praying for these families that were affected and we will continue to.”
scarypriest on November 8th, 2017 at 18:38 UTC »
I own a funeral home. What this guy is doing is really great. There are not many family owned funeral homes in Texas as it is the home of a giant chain SCI. But I am willing to bet most family owned funeral homes are not charging for their services for this either. They are just doing it quietly for, at most, cost. Some will actually even just pay for outside costs for them.
I hope so anyway, I would never take or make a dollar or something like this. I will, however, bet my house the newspaper selling papers off of reporting this horror will also charge hundreds each for their obituaries. I'd be shocked and relieved to be proven wrong.
Edit: my father did a funeral for a baby when I was in high school and I asked him how he could charge people for something like that. He said, very casually 'I didn't charge anything, babies don't have money.'
Jenwith1N on November 8th, 2017 at 18:09 UTC »
Texas Country Reporter did a piece about him. He seems like such a genuine caring person.
https://youtu.be/CIRTpPqeEXY
Here's his website as well.
If I didn't want to be cremated (and shot off in fireworks) I would definitely leave instructions with my family to get my casket through him. He seems to really care about his work and the family of the deceased.
sweet_jen on November 8th, 2017 at 17:35 UTC »
What a genuinely good guy.