ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Robertsdale resident Robert Laarmann says he has nowhere else to turn.

For several months, Laarmann said he was helping out a neighbor, Helen Gresens.

He helped with her medical supplies and got her signed up for Meals on Wheels. Then, when it became necessary for her to get extended medical care, he helped get her admitted into the Robertsdale Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center.

He also helped pay bills, getting a notarized power of attorney through the Baldwin County Council on Aging.

When Gresens died on Nov. 2, Laarmann said he helped to fulfill part of her final wishes, making cremation arrangements with the local funeral home.

But then, Laarmann said he hit a snag.

“She expressed to me that she wanted to be cremated and have ashes buried with her sister (Clara Ciganek) and brother-in-law at the Silverhill Cemetery,” Laarmann said.

So, he contacted someone with the Silverhill Cemetery Association and received approval, but there was a small problem. In order to fulfill Gresens’ final wishes, the association required a $125 fee.

Laarmann said he went to the bank, where he had been helping Gresens keep her finances in order but, he said, even though he had a power of attorney while she was alive, the bank told him that it was no longer valid after her death. Since he is not Gresens’ next of kin and his name did not appear on the account, he was unable to secure the funds from her account.

When contacted, representatives from the bank said in order to obtain funds from the account, Laarmann would need to get a court order stating the need for the funds.

But that would require Laarmann to hire an attorney, which would likely cost him more than the $125 fee required by the Cemetery Association, not to mention dealing with the usually drawn out legal process.

Laarmann said he has tried everything, from charitable organizations to contacting Sen. Trip Pittman, but has gotten no response.

“I just don’t think it’s right,” he said. “All I’m trying to do is grant her final wishes. I don’t want anything else out of it.”