She died in a Manhattan penthouse but was buried on an island for the poor

Valerie Griffith lived a remarkable life before passing away at 101 in a penthouse apartment in Manhattan. According to declassified FBI documents and immigration records, she helped the U.S. military during World War II, exposed antisemitism in the United States and married an American spy. Her final resting place is No. 14 in plot No. 414 on Hart Island.

The island is also known as “Forgotten Island” or “Isle of Tears” and is the nation’s largest public cemetery. It has served indigent populations for 150 years but now serves a surprising range of people. Since 1869, New York City’s Department of Correction ran the burial ground. Now the city has taken over and millions of tax dollars are being spent to revitalize the island.

When next of kin cannot be reached, local authorities are forced to make arrangements for bodies left in the morgue. The morgue experienced a surge of unclaimed bodies in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information:

See Mary Jordan, “She died in a Manhattan penthouse but was buried on an island for the poor,” Washington Post, July 2, 2022.

Special thanks to Deborah Matthews (Virginia Estate Planning Attorney) for bringing this article to my attention.