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Family Feud Splits Funeral - Service held one day, burial another
Andre' Williams, STAR Writer
Having lived a rather challenging life being dumb and deaf, little did 53-year-old Jennifer 'Blue Eyes' Hennderson, now deceased, know that her afterlife would spark confusion and controversy before she was finally laid to rest.
THE WEEKEND STAR understands that a family feud recently caused a split at her funeral, separating the church service from the actual burial with both having to be conducted a week apart.
Katesha Blake, a cousin of the deceased, told THE WEEKEND STAR that other members of her family as well as several residents form Russell Pen district, Linstead, St Catherine, where they live, are still angry at the manner in which Blue Eyes was laid to rest.
She said, "We had a grave digging for our cousin Blue Eyes on April 25 on a small family plot. We had no idea that relatives from overseas would be coming home to be a part of the proceedings or at least that's what we thought when we saw two cousins Anthony and Dennis Anderson arrive that day."
She continued, <span style="font-weight: bold">"They came with tension ready to war saying that Blue Eyes can't bury on their land so the rest of the family and some members of the community took it to them and beat the two of dem out of anger that they would really try to spoil the funeral plans."
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THE WEEKEND STAR understands that the beaten relatives, both over 50 years of age, managed to call the Linstead police who then came on the scene and escorted them away from the community.
According to reports, the two cousins flew in from Florida claiming that the land belongs to them and them alone.
The matter was reported to the parish council and a letter was sent to Valene Anderson, another relative who was in charge of the funeral arrangements, reportedly saying she should postpone the funeral until a meeting with family members was conducted to find a common ground or find somewhere else to bury Blue Eyes.
THE WEEKEND STAR learnt that the relatives who lived in Jamaica still carried out the service as planned on April 28 and the congregation, to their surprise, had to be notified by the pastor during the actual service that no burial would take place after the service.
A member of the family expressed, "Would you believe that other relatives and over 100 of Blue Eye physically impaired friends who journeyed for her funeral service were extremely angry that they didn't get to see her bury."
THE WEEKEND STAR was told that the body had to be returned to the undertaker after the service until May 5.
The family had to dig deep to purchase a different spot at Threadway Cemetery for Blue Eyes' burial.
A member from the community expressed to THE WEEKEND STAR, "Is the first from I born and live here for 30 odd years I see anything like this, where funeral service had to be split from burial especially because of unresolved family dispute ... You know how much money go to waste."
THE WEEKEND STAR was also informed that the grave that was being dug at the family plot is still open as nothing was done since the fight.
Our news team was told that none of the men who flew to Jamaica attended the funeral service or the burial.
A relative of the deceased angrily disclosed, "Dem come fi stop grave digging and nobody knows dem. We only hear of dem ... but dem want to stop Blue Eyes from being buried here."
When THE WEEKEND STAR contacted the Linstead police, sources confirmed the incident but were reluctant to say if the men would be pressing charges against the group of people who attacked them.