Kindness And A Coincidence: What Happened After A Family’s Sacred Funeral Items Were Stolen

SUPERIOR, Wis. — A family that traveled to Superior for a funeral of a loved one last weekend saw their painful experience become even more tragic, after a thief stole items from the service out of their car.

Gerald “Jerry” Zowin was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather who passed away on February 5th at age 81.

His funeral was held in Superior last weekend, with the family staying overnight at a hotel on Tower Avenue.

Then, their painful tragedy only became worse.

According to Superior police, a thief prowling the hotel parking lot opened their car door, stealing the entertainment system from the vehicle, along with a bag containing Gerald’s ashes set aside for his grandchildren, the funeral registry book, and about 200 sentimental cards given to the family, including some containing money in them.

When Gerald’s son discovered what happened and called Superior police the next morning, Officer Austin Lauridsen arrived.

That’s when he met Jean, Gerald’s wife, who was holding a folded American flag given to her in honor of Gerald’s service in the Navy.

“From there we just kind of talked about basically Gerald and his history….and how he was the nicest guy in the world, and a funny guy but he would still hold his own and stand his ground,” Lauridsen said.

The family shared that they had a long drive ahead, and it struck a chord with the officer, after hearing about all they had been through.

“It’s not like a police perspective, I mean behind the badge we’re all human, we all get angry, said, mad, and happy, you know, just like anybody else and that day I felt really sad, so I went to the Kwik Trip and a bought a gas card and bought her a white rose,” he said.

Jean wasn’t at the hotel when Officer Lauridsen returned, but her family was blown away by the unexpected generosity after another stranger had already taken so much from them.

“There was a lot of tears, I was at the funeral home when this happened,” Jean Zowin said. “When he came back and I got back to the hotel and they were all crying, saying how nice, you know, that he brought that and stuff so it was a sad day but a very special day.”

Meanwhile, as word of the theft spread on social media, a person who knew a relative of the family happened to go to a friend’s house in Duluth and found the funeral guest registry, realizing that the individual may have been the one who stole the bag from the car.

The ashes and registry have been returned to the family, but the cards and money inside them are gone.

Still, Jean is relieved that what’s most important is back home with her, along with the rose from an officer who went the extra mile for her.

“I was still kind of in a little depressed mood anyway, but it was very nice, very uplifting for me,” she said. “The rose is sitting on my table and in a vase and I think of him, how sweet.”

Superior police are continuing to work on an investigation into the theft before they can make an arrest.