For most of her 75 years, Antonieze McLean might well have lived her life unnoticed. In death, the opposite is true.

Twelve years since her passing, at the Mandeville Hospital, she continues to capture the imagination of the public, especially students interested in mortuary science.

Her story is unusual as she has not been claimed for burial by any of her relatives.

Instead, she stays dressed for eventual burial at Lyn's Funeral home in Mandeville.

Originally said to be from the Greenvale community in Mandeville, McLean lived in the United States for 40 years but died after taking ill while on vacation here in 1997. She was taken to the Lyn's morgue shortly after her death by a man presumed to be her nephew.

According to the proprietors, that nephew has since claimed he does not have the money to bury his aunt. It is believed that McLean still has a son who resides in the US.

Her circumstances have pro-pelled her to local fame. Co-proprietor of the funeral home, Sylvia Lyn, said her presence seems to excite more interest with each passing year.

"People come here all the time and ask about her," Lyn told The Gleaner recently. "They always want to know how we are able to keep her that long and to hear about her story."

Smartly decked out for a formal outing, McLean, had she been placed elsewhere, could easily have been mistaken for an elderly person just taking a nap. Among her most recent admirers were students of the Saunder's Nursing Institute, who travelled all the way from Morant Bay for an instructional field trip.

"I did my training in Mandeville and, since I knew of her story, I told my students and they wanted to come and learn more, especially as we were studying a similar topic," explained Annecia Murray, a nursing instructor at Saunder's Institute.