Trey Ganem talks to the dead and he makes their coffins.
Now the owner of SoulShine Industries, a company that makes custom coffins in Edna, Texas, is donating its efforts to the victims of the school shooting in Uwalde.
The 50-year-old Ganem told The Post on Saturday that he was covering the cost of the coffins, which retail for about $ 3,400 each. He said he met with the families of 19 of the victims – 18 children and a teacher – and designed coffins with dinosaurs, butterflies, softball and scenes from TikTok videos.
A total of 21 people were killed on Tuesday when an 18-year-old gunman entered Rob’s primary school, barricaded himself in a classroom and began killing.
“I got a call from a few people who needed the coffins urgently, and the whole thing really tore me apart, so I decided to help,” said Ganem, who is the star of the A&E reality show Trey the Texas Medium.
He spoke to The Post as he loaded eight of the coffins in a truck for the nearly four-hour trip to Uwalde. All coffins must be in town by Tuesday, in time for the funeral.
He said he met with the victims’ families on Wednesday and Thursday and began designing the coffins on Friday. He works around the clock to complete the designs he paints on the coffins, which are manufactured at the Cherokee Casket Company in Georgia.
Residents gather at the memorial in the town square of Uwalde on May 26, 2022. James Cave
“We started working on the coffins on Friday and we have eight of them painted,” he said. “We are still talking to the families while we are talking, and they are in the funeral homes, walking around and looking at examples. And then we’re here in Edna, recording the information to get exactly what they want. “
Ganem makes customized coffins for all but one, but doesn’t want to explain more. He also created the coffin for Eva Mireles, one of the fourth-grade teachers who was shot dead in her classroom.
SoulShine Industries aims to deliver all Uvalde coffins by May 31st. Provided by Soulshine Industries, Trey Ganem says each coffin has a distinctive design requested by the families of the victims. Submission from Soulshine Industries Crosses bearing the names of the victims of the shooting at the entrance to Robb Elementary in Uwalde on 28 May 2022. TANNEN MAURY / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
He says he communicates regularly with the deceased while working on the coffins, including the victims of Tuesday’s shooting, but declined to give details.
“It helps me create the coffins,” he said.
Ghanem is no stranger to mass shootings. He worked on coffins for the 26 people killed in a shooting at Sutherlands Spring Church in 2017, and designed a coffin for Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Gyllen, who was killed in 2020. He also uses images for Gilen’s coffin. of the Mexican and American flags as one of the Virgin Mary, he said. He also customized a coffin for Texas rapper 50 Pak, who died in 2017.
Ganem incorporates his designs into computer-generated images and creates a “huge sticker” to wrap around the coffins. His son Billy, 27, helps with the wrappers.
The last of the shootings at a school in Texas
He has been a clairvoyant since he was 5, Ganem said, and has worked as a medium for several years.
“It was great for me to hear all their stories,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been part of their family.
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