Erika Bermudez becomes emotional as she leans over the grave of her mother Eudiana Smith after she was buried in Bayview Cemetery Saturday, May 2, 2020, in Jersey City, N.J., Bermudez was not allowed to approach the gravesite until after cemetery workers had buried her mother completely; other members of the family and friends stayed in their cars. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The Associated Press
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) - Mohammad Altaf, the generous spirit. Eudiana Smith, the trailblazer. Servius Collin, the caretaker. All were taken by COVID-19. And in death, all were robbed of the funerals they deserved.
As the coronavirus pandemic worked its way toward 100,000 U.S. deaths, a wave of shaken families has had to honor the dead apart and in small groups during an era of social distancing.
Restrictions on gatherings are only now being loosened, and many have been forced to deny themselves the collective show of affection that helps the living cope with grief.
When Smith, a retired mental health professional who died at age 73, was laid to rest at a cemetery this month near her home in Jersey City, New Jersey, mourners watched from their cars as workers interred the casket. Then, only one person at a time was allowed at her graveside.
'œMy mother was healthy and still full of life,'ť said her daughter, Erika Bermudez.
She called her mother a trailblazer, the first in the family to emigrate from Jamaica to the United States.
'œI was robbed of the experience of being able to celebrate her life in a manner that would offer some kind of respect for the woman she was," Bermudez said.
Bermudez did her best, live-streaming the ceremony to friends and family who couldn't attend.
After Altaf, a car service driver and father of three young children, died in Brooklyn at age 48, two dozen men gathered at Al-Rayaan Muslim Funeral Services on May 17 for the traditional washing and prayer ceremonies.
'œMy brother, he's got so many good friends, I was expecting maybe too many people would participate in the funeral," said his younger brother, Tariq Aziz. 'œBut because of this kind of situation, it's very risky."
Still, Aziz said, he is grateful to have given his brother his last rites, as the devoutly religious man known among his fellow Pakistanis for generosity and kindness would have wished.
'œPeople who passed away with this kind of disease, the people, they don't want to touch it,'ť Aziz said. 'œWe're trying not to think too much. We just keep praying for him that his soul is at peace and rest.'ť
Both New York and New Jersey have, in the past few days, loosened rules that had previously all but shut funerals down by barring groups of people from gathering.
But even the new rules will require subdued funerals.
Groups of as many as 10 people are now allowed in New York as long as mourners stay 6 feet apart. Groups of as many as 25 people are allowed in New Jersey if the ceremony is outdoors, or 10 people if indoors.
Before his death last month at age 79, Servius Collin, of Newark, New Jersey, rarely missed gatherings of his tight-knit Haitian family, especially funerals.
His own would be a quiet affair.
Three of his children and two of their spouses gathered for a brief viewing at a Newark funeral home on April 30 to see him lay in a sharp suit, red paisley tie and fashionable fedora.
The family waited on the porch of the funeral home until the door was unlocked. They were ushered in and had about 15 minutes to pay their respects and take some pictures to send to relatives who couldn't attend.
Diuene Collin said he felt as if his father had died 'œwith no dignity.'ť
'œI kept on saying," he said, 'œif I knew my dad was going to leave me like this, that I would have spent more time with him.'ť
Siblings Erika and Dwayne Bermudez comfort one another during a short viewing of their mother, Eudiana Smith, at The Family Funeral Home, Saturday, May 2, 2020, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Nahasia Robinson, who died at age 27, is seen with flowers in her hands during a viewing at The Family Funeral Home, Thursday April 30, 2020, in Newark, N.J. A wave of shaken families has had to honor the dead apart and in small groups during an era of social distancing. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Family and friends watch from a distance or their cars as Erika Bermudez stands over her mother Eudiana Smith's grave after she was buried in Bayview Cemetery, Saturday, May 2, 2020 in Jersey City, N.J. Bermudez was not allowed to approach the gravesite until after cemetery workers had buried her mother completely; other members of the family and friends stayed in their cars. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Mohammad Ayaz, cousin of Mohammad Altaf, center right, is hugged by a mourner after funeral prayers are given over Altaf's body at Al-Rayaan Muslim Funeral Services, Sunday, May 17, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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The body of Mohammad Altaf, who died at 48 of COVID-19, is ritually washed and wrapped before being given funeral prayers at Al-Rayaan Muslim Funeral Services, Sunday, May 17, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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The body of Mohammad Altaf, who died at 48 of COVID-19, is ritually washed and wrapped before being given funeral prayers at Al-Rayaan Muslim Funeral Services, Sunday, May 17, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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Mourners gather as the body of Mohammad Altaf, who died at 48 of COVID-19, is wheeled into an open space after being ritually washed and wrapped before being given funeral prayers in the Muslim tradition at Al-Rayaan Muslim Funeral Services, Sunday, May 17, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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Tariq Aziz, brother of Mohammad Altaf, center, is hugged by a mourner after funeral prayers are given over the Altaf's body at Al-Rayaan Muslim Funeral Services, Sunday, May 17, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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The body of Mohammad Altaf, below, who died of COVID-19, is given funeral prayers at Al-Rayaan Muslim Funeral Services, Sunday, May 17, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. A wave of shaken families has had to honor the dead apart and in small groups during an era of social distancing. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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Funeral director Faheem Mian delivers the body of Mohammad Altaf, who died of COVID-19, to John F. Kennedy International Airport for shipping to Altaf's native Pakistan, Tuesday, May 19, 2020, in the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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Mourners attend a funeral service for Mattie Halley Robinson at the Church of God in Christ in Jersey City, N.J., Saturday, May 2, 2020. A wave of shaken families has had to honor the dead apart and in small groups during an era of social distancing. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Items are laid out for mourners, including hand sanitizer, before the funeral service for Bishop Carl Williams, Jr. in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Thursday, May 21, 2020. Carl Williams, Jr. was the emeritus pastor of the Institutional International Ministries, a congregation started by his father Carl Williams, Sr. The congregation and Williams Jr. are more widely known for their gospel group, the Institutional Radio Choir. Williams Jr. was a featured singer singer in, directed and managed the choir for over 30 years and took a star turn on Broadway when he was cast in the musical "The Gospel at Colonus". (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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A handful of mourners attend a funeral service for Mattie Halley Robinson at the Church of God in Christ in Jersey City, N.J., Saturday, May 2, 2020. A wave of shaken families has had to honor the dead apart and in small groups during an era of social distancing. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Members of Servius Collin's family stand around his remains during a viewing at The Family Funeral Home in Newark, N.J., Thursday, April 30, 2020. A wave of shaken families has had to honor the dead apart and in small groups during an era of social distancing. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Kenneth Cattenhead, executive director of The Family Funeral Home, helps move a casket into a waiting hearse at The Family Funeral Home in Newark, N.J., Thursday, April 30, 2020. A wave of shaken families has had to honor the dead apart and in small groups during an era of social distancing. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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The Rev. Fabian Arias performs an in-home service beside the remains of Raul Luis Lopez who died from COVID-19 the previous month, Saturday, May 9, 2020, in the Corona neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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The Rev. Fabian Arias, left, performs an in-home service beside the remains of Raul Luis Lopez who died from COVID-19 the previous month as Lopez's cousin Miguel Hernandez Gomez, right, bows his head in prayer, Saturday, May 9, 2020, in the Corona neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York. A wave of shaken families has had to honor the dead apart and in small groups during an era of social distancing. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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Lonnie Youngblood, right, plays saxophone while waiting for friends and family to gather for the interment of Bishop Carl Williams, Jr. in Union, N.J., Thursday, May 21, 2020. Carl Williams, Jr. was the emeritus pastor of the Institutional International Ministries, a congregation started by his father Carl Williams, Sr. The congregation and Williams Jr. are more widely known for their gospel group, the Institutional Radio Choir. Williams Jr. was a featured singer singer in, directed and managed the choir for over 30 years and took a star turn on Broadway when he was cast in the musical "The Gospel at Colonus". (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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