Sonoma County to host May 3 memorial service honoring the lives of the unclaimed

The County of Sonoma will hold a memorial service on May 3 to honor the lives of 34 individuals who died without family or friends able to make final arrangements for their remains. The public is invited to attend the 2 p.m. ceremony at Pleasant Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary at 1700 Pleasant Hill Road in Sebastopol. 

Organized by the Sonoma County Human Services Department’s Office of the Public Administrator and the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office, the service will provide a dignified farewell for people whose passing might have otherwise been overlooked. This is the third year in a row that the County has hosted this service. 

“Each of these individuals were valuable members of our community in their own right, and they deserve to be remembered with dignity and care,” said Angela Struckmann, director of the Human Services Department. “This memorial is an opportunity for us to come together to honor their unique lives and experiences, and to lovingly remember them as neighbors, family members and friends.” 

Each year, approximately 4,300 people die in Sonoma County. When no next-of-kin can be found — or when family members are unable to afford final arrangements — their names are referred to the Public Administrator’s Office. The County makes every effort to locate estate planning documents or loved ones to assume responsibility, but in about 45 cases per year, no one is identified who can take responsibility for making final arrangements. 

In 2024, the County laid to rest 34 individuals as part of this process, and their ashes were spread in the Rose Garden at Pleasant Hills Memorial Park. Additionally, the cremated remains of three veterans were transported to the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, thanks to the County’s Veterans Remains Officer and veteran volunteers. 

The Human Services Department began holding annual memorial services in 2023 to ensure that those cremated by the County receive a respectful and meaningful farewell. Since 2010, the program has interred the cremated remains of approximately 620 individuals at Pleasant Hills Memorial Park — some of whom were unhoused or estranged from family, or simply outlived their loved ones. 

The May 3 ceremony will feature a performance by the Threshold Singers and remarks from Angela Struckmann, director of the Sonoma County Human Services Department; Paul Dunaway, director of HSD’s Adult and Aging Division; and Ron Collier, the County’s Veteran’s Remains Officer. 

All are welcome to attend, regardless of faith or religious beliefs. Registration is not required.

###
Media Contact: 
Ted Appel, Communications Specialist 
publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org 
(707) 565-3040 
575 Administration Drive, Suite 104A 
Santa Rosa, CA 95403