A 97-year-old's woman last stop: an open casket in a Detroit-area park

WARREN, Mich. — A suburban Detroit park with baseball fields, a playground and picnic tables had an unusual addition this week: an open casket containing the body of a 97-year-old woman who used to live in the area.

Police in Warren fielded calls from curious residents, especially after a photo was posted Tuesday on social media. Some people wondered if it was a very early Halloween prank. Officials said plans for the viewing at Butcher Park weren’t disclosed ahead of time.

Madonna Stiller's family said they simply wanted to honor her before her burial that day in Detroit. A viewing at a local funeral home apparently wasn't possible after the body was transported to Michigan. She died in Wellsville, New York, on Aug. 29.

“The funeral director temporarily situated the casket in the park so that the deceased’s family members could say their final goodbyes prior to her burial at Mt. Olivet Cemetery,” police said Thursday.

A photo on Facebook showed an open casket and a spray of flowers under large leafy trees. A man sat nearby at a picnic table.

“We just wanted to honor my mother,” Stiller's son, Ken Stiller, told The Macomb Daily. “We didn’t mean to cause any problems and didn’t mean for it to be in the newspaper.”

City officials said a park can't automatically be a place for open caskets.

“We would ask that the public please contact City Hall or the Police Department in advanced if requesting a viewing at a city park so that we can ensure the necessary protocols are respected,” police said.