Trey Ganem talks to the dead and makes his coffins.
Now, the owner of SoulShine Industries, a company that makes custom coffins in Edna, Texas, is giving his efforts to the victims of the school shooting in Uvalde.
Ganem, 50, told The Post on Saturday that he is covering the costs of the coffins, which are retailed for about $ 3,400 each. He said he met with the families of 19 of the victims, 18 children and a teacher, and that he has designed coffins with dinosaurs, butterflies, softball and TikTok video scenes.
A total of 21 people died Tuesday when an 18-year-old gunman entered Robb Elementary School, barricaded himself in a classroom and began killing.
“I was called in by a few people who needed chests urgently, and it all really broke down for me, 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 into a truck during the nearly four-hour drive to Uvalde. On Tuesday, all coffins should be in town, in time for funerals.
He said he met with the families of the victims on Wednesday and Thursday and began designing the coffins on Friday. He has been working all day to complete the designs he paints on the coffins, which are made by the Cherokee Casket Company of Georgia.
Residents gather at a memorial in Uvalde Town Square on May 26, 2022. James Keivom
“We started working on the caskets on Friday and we have eight painted ones,” he said. “We are still talking to the families while we are talking, and they are at the funeral home walking around and looking at examples. And then we’re here with Edna, writing down the information to get exactly what they want. “
Ganem is making custom coffins for all but one child, but I wouldn’t go into more detail. He is also creating the coffin for Eva Mireles, one of the fourth graders shot in her class.
SoulShine Industries aims to deliver all coffins to Uvalde by May 31st. Soulshine Industries brochure Trey Ganem says each coffin has a distinctive design requested by the families of the victims of the shooting. the entry of Robb Elementary in Uvalde on May 28, 2022.TANNEN MAURY / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
He says he regularly communicates with the deceased while working in coffers, including the victims of Tuesday’s shooting, but gave no further details.
“It helps me create the chests,” he said.
Ganem is no stranger to mass shootings. He worked on coffins for the 26 people killed in the Sutherlands Spring Church shooting in 2017, and designed a coffin for Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen, who was killed in 2020. For Guillen’s coffin, he also went use images of Mexican and American flags. as one of the Virgin Mary said. He also customized a coffin for Texas rapper 50 Pak, who died in 2017.
Ganem incorporates its designs into computer-generated images and creates “a huge sticker” to wrap the coffins. Her 27-year-old son Billy helps with the wraps.
The latest in a Texas school shooting
He has been clairvoyant since the age of 5, Ganem said, and has worked as a medium for several years.
“It’s been a beautiful thing for me to hear all of their stories,” he said. “I feel like I’ve become part of his family.”