WA WA: Roe, John no dob listed or found date listed

I just realized that I never updated this thread from 2016! The coroner responded right away and provided this information:

"Jonathan W. Roe- Mason County did not handle this death (from Googling his name it appears he died in Thurston County), and records created before I started working here do not indicate why we have his cremated remains in our possession. I would offer this theory; occasionally, as a courtesy, coroners take possession of cremated remains that were, for unknown reasons, abandoned by next of kin, sometimes left behind in apartments or storage units. The name of the decedents' are then publicized hoping that they will be claimed. I can only assume that this office came into possession of the remains for this reason."
 
Both Findagrave.com and the Shelton Memorial Park have JWR's DOB listed as born on November 23, 1947.
Tributes.com has him listed as born on November 23,1939. A resident of Lacey, Thurston County, WA.

The contributor for JWR's grave on Findagrave.com wrote a note listing the parents' names and also JWR's age as being 67 at the time of his death. That would make him born in 1939.

If the info is correct and JWR is in fact the son of Fred L. Roe and Carol Delaho, then, and according to the obituary of his maternal grandmother, there are cousins and/or siblings, and second cousins and/or his siblings' children. So, unless everyone died prior to his death, he had living family in 2004. Or, maybe he was estranged from his family when he died?

It would be good to know where the Shelton Memorial Park, the Findagrave.com contributor and Tributes.com got their info from. Just to make sure we are talking about the same Jonathan Willis "John" Roe.

@luxISlight, do you think you could contact the Mason County Coroner a check if there is an update? Or maybe contact the Thurston County Coroner? TIA

Jonathan Willis “John” Roe (1947-2004) - Find a...

https://www.sheltonmemorialpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Directory_2021.pdf

Jonathan Roe Obituary - Lacey, Washington - Tributes.com

Clipping from The Amarillo Globe-Times - Newspapers.com

There's also a FamilySearch.com record for a John Willis Crews, son of Carol Delaho and Clarence Willis Crews. The same DOB, November 23, 1939. Carol Delaho's Findagrave states Crews is her first husband's name.
It's confusing because, CWC (d.1975) has only one son listed in his obituary, CWC Jr. (d.1997).

I hope there is someone out there somewhere looking for J.


MOO JMO
 
I did a little searching and, assuming the all the names are correct, i believe JWR may have been a homeless man.

If her mother's name is correct, she did marry a CW Crews who is JWR's biological father.
Jonathan Willis Roe? Same DOB - Newspapers.com

Carol Crews and CWC filed for divorce in 1940.
Carol Delaho Crews divorce CW Crews - Newspapers.com

Jonathan's name as John Willis Crews on his 1st Birthday.
John Willis Crews Birthday 11/23/1940 - Newspapers.com

On Carol's parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary,in 1957, Carol is listed as Mrs. Fred Roe of South Gate, California.
Carol Delaho Crews Roe Parents' 50 Anniversary - Newspapers.com

Fred Roe's died in 1974 in car accident. I couldn't find an obituary for him... Just the accident news article. Although it states his wife reported him missing it doesn't mention her name. But his grave confirms it's the same Fred Roe.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/176165319/fred-louis-roe - Newspapers.com

I don't know where the name Jonathan comes from... My theory is that Fred legally adopted John, and when they change his last name to Roe they also changed his first name to a similar one, Jonathan. It's just a theory.

Now, the homeless theory, based on newspapers' articles.


The Mason County Coroner said JWR died in "Thurston County". There's a homeless vet, John Roe in Olympia, in 1993:

Jonathan W. Roe? - Newspapers.com

And there's another homeless man, named John Roe, in Olympia, in 2004. And a photo of him, 5 months prior to JWR's death.

Jonathan Roe? - Newspapers.com


Don't know if it's just me but, I kinda see a resemblance between John Roe and Carol's father. There's something about their noses' shape...



Screen Shot 2022-07-22 at 18.45.55.png



Please, take this with a grain of salt, as I'm not sure if the names on Findmygrave.com are correct.

MOO JMO
 
Excellent work. If they know who he is, wonder if he doesn't have family that can/will claim his remains? I know of someone who was raising a homeless couples children and they chose not to claim his ashes because they really couldn't afford to take care of the kids and that as well. It was only a few hundred if I remember right but times were tough.
 
Excellent work. If they know who he is, wonder if he doesn't have family that can/will claim his remains? I know of someone who was raising a homeless couples children and they chose not to claim his ashes because they really couldn't afford to take care of the kids and that as well. It was only a few hundred if I remember right but times were tough.

John said in the interview he lost track of his ex-wife and two sons. And there's also his cousins and his biological father second (and according to his obituary, only) son. So, he had family. The question is, did the Coroner find them? We don't know, but i would like to know.
I agree with you, it was probably a financial issue but, i also have the feeling the closest living relatives didn't want anything to do with him. Let's not forget he was a homeless in 1993 and died a homeless in 2004. If anyone was looking for him, 11 years is a lot of time, they would have found him, if they really wanted to. I'm just speculating here... MOO JMO
Anyways... do you want to contact the Thurston County Coroner or try the Mason County Coroner again?

This homeless veteran deserves a tombstone with his name on it. MOO JMO

MOO JMO
 
Just a quick update: I believe I may have found JWR's ex-wife (or one of them) and his eldest son.
Since the OP is no longer a member and the reason JWR remains unclaimed to this day is unknown, I took the initiative and contacted the Thurston County Coroner. He was very kind and helpful. So, hopefully I'll hear back from him tomorrow.
With luck, we will learn if the next of kin chose not to claim the remains or, if a next of kin was not found.
I don't know if this was the right step to take, but it's done now.

MOO JMO
 
I just heard from both Mason and Thurston Coroners and here is the Mason County Coroner reply to my email:

" Hi Patricia
Sorry it took me a couple days to find out some information. John died in our county at a nursing home. His death was a natural death from Lung Cancer. He had no known family members at the time of his death and was processed as an indigent. He was cremated and his ashes were buried in our indigent plot at the Shelton Cemetery. If you have contact information for family I could reach out and let them know.

Thank You, (...) "

I sent the relatives' names to the Coroner... now, let's hope for the best.

MOO JMO
 

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