JS: Milwaukee Archdiocese steps in to bury artist who died indigent and in isolation

Timothy Decker, once a successful wire sculptor who died indigent in Milwaukee County after living in the shadows of near isolation, was buried in bright sunshine Friday at Holy Cross Cemetery.

"This beautiful day reminds us of the dignity of human life," Father Tim Kitzke said during a graveside service just several yards from the fast-paced traffic on W. Appleton Ave.

A hearse delivered Decker's body to the gravesite following a slow procession through the cemetery. Several members of St. James Episcopal Church in Milwaukee were there to offer prayers and ensure Decker was not buried in obscurity.

"Everyone should be respected and loved, especially people who fall through the cracks" of society, Kitzke said in an interview before the service. He is vicar for urban ministry with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

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Good.

Marshfield couple finds special ministry making caskets and burial garments for infants

During their visit, they discovered a special ministry where custom caskets and burial garments are created for infants who die in utero or shortly after birth. The usual hospital practice after a miscarriage or stillborn death is to dispose of the baby. Families in shock after an unexpected death are often not aware a funeral and burial are an option for their baby.

“All the hospitals do is put them in plastic boxes,” says Pattie. “There’s no closure for the parents, nothing. It just got to me. We need to get these babies buried with dignity.”

Pattie knows very well the pain of losing an infant. She had a miscarriage at four and a half months and her daughter experienced a miscarriage in the fifth month of a pregnancy. She also remembers as a child when her mother lost triplets.

Don puts the finishing touches on a casket built and donated by one of the Gifts of Love volunteer craftsmen.

“I can picture that still today,” Pattie says. “I was there when my sisters were buried.”

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An often overlooked and important work of mercy.