Cook County clerical confusion emerges following death of Karen Yarbrough

COOK COUNTY - Following the sudden passing of Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, some confusion has surfaced at the Cook County Clerk's Office, leaving individuals with pending business at the office uncertain of procedures.

Funeral services for Yarbrough, who died on Sunday after being hospitalized for an undisclosed serious medical condition, have been scheduled. However, questions linger regarding who assumes her duties in the interim and whether essential tasks such as signing death, birth, and marriage certificates are being addressed.

The Cook County Democratic Party has yet to select a replacement for Yarbrough, resulting in a delay in the physical signing of death certificates this week.

The Funeral Directors Services Association of Greater Chicago has cautioned its members about potential delays. Until Thursday afternoon, funeral directors were uncertain whether burials and cremations would face standby procedures. However, some have found alternative methods, such as obtaining state file numbers for permits, to navigate around the absence of physical death certificates.

"Especially for families that have religious witness cremations and things, we're able to still get the state filing numbers. It's just we're not being able to obtain the certified copies of the death certificates that are, you know, required for life insurance companies and, you know, things that families need to do to close out certain state things," said Kevin Anderson, Funeral Directors Services Association of Greater Chicago.

Individuals in need of certificates from the Clerk's Office should anticipate delays until a replacement clerk is appointed.

Yarbrough's memorial is scheduled for Sunday at the Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago, commencing at 3 p.m.