Beyond Traditional Disposition

April 16, 2026

Posted By: Tonya Scotece in Funeral Profession Blog, News,

A Personal and Professional Reflection on Osteological Donation in Florida

Introduction

In funeral service, we often speak of disposition in familiar terms such as burial, flame cremation, and more recently, alkaline hydrolysis. Yet there exists another pathway that remains largely unknown within our profession. It is a form of disposition that bridges science, education, and legacy in a deeply human and enduring way.

This pathway also represents another choice that funeral directors can offer families who may not realize that such an option exists, especially one that is available right here in Florida.

My introduction to this pathway began not in the preparation room, but in the classroom.

Academic Foundation and Professional Intersection

While pursuing my master’s degree at Florida Gulf Coast University in Criminal Forensics, with a concentration in medicolegal death investigation, I had the distinct privilege of studying under Dr. Heather Walsh-Haney, a renowned forensic anthropologist whose work centers on the study of human skeletal remains.

At the same time, I was working at Farley Funeral Homes and Crematory, where I had completed my internship and continued my professional career through 2018.

This dual exposure created a unique lens. I was not only caring for the deceased in practice, but also studying how the human body continues to inform science, law, and education after death.

What I came to understand was not simply the study of bones, but the permanence of the story they tell.

A Distinct Approach to Donation

Most funeral professionals in Florida are familiar with anatomical donation programs governed through the state anatomical board. These programs typically involve embalming, followed by extended medical study over a period of one to two years.

The program developed under Dr. Walsh-Haney offers a fundamentally different approach.

At Florida Gulf Coast University, the focus is osteological. The goal is not long-term soft tissue preservation, but the careful preparation and study of the human skeleton.

Through this process, the decedent is respectfully defleshed, and soft tissue is managed in accordance with biohazard and regulatory protocols. The skeletal remains are then processed, cleaned, and preserved for long-term academic use.

Throughout this process, the decedent is treated with respect and professional care, consistent with both medicolegal and academic standards.

These remains become part of an academic collection used for teaching and research.

The Role of Medicolegal Collaboration

Initial preparation of remains is conducted in coordination with appropriate medicolegal facilities in Southwest Florida, where early stages of skeletal processing take place prior to transfer for academic use.
This collaboration reinforces the connection between forensic science, medicolegal investigation, and education.

A Personal Connection

My connection to this program became deeply personal when multiple members of my family chose this pathway.

The first was my grandmother’s brother, who made a decision rooted in something both simple and profound. He had never attended college during his lifetime, yet he expressed a wish to be part of one. Through this donation, he found a way to do just that. In his own words, he wanted to be “perpetually at a college program.”

My grandmother later chose the same path, reflecting a shared belief in continued purpose and contribution beyond death.

Over time, another close family member also elected this form of donation.
Rather than concluding their story, their remains became part of an ongoing educational legacy.

The Living Classroom

Each set of bones reveals evidence of lived experience, indicators of disease, markers of trauma, and biological identity.

Perhaps most meaningful was witnessing how this continued to educate beyond the classroom.

Rethinking Disposition

Donation does not eliminate the option for visitation or service. Families may still establish memorialization, including cemetery markers.

In my own family’s experience, my grandmother is memorialized through a cenotaph at Venice Memorial Gardens, while her brother is commemorated with a headstone at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida.

Expanding Awareness in Funeral Service

For more information, inquiries can be directed through Florida Gulf Coast University’s forensic studies program. Administrative coordination is facilitated by Micki Besse at mbesse@fgcu.edu.

Transportation and coordination of the donation process can also be arranged through the program—we actually ask the donor to work with a funeral home to transport the donor.