People Are Rethinking The Traditional Funeral Arrangements After Somebody Shared Their ‘Fun Funeral Facts’
There’s still a great deal of taboo around the subject of death in western societies; we struggle at times to come to terms with our own mortality and when a loved one dies, we usually leave it to a funeral home to take care of awkward matters for us.
Image credits: Mark Stevenson (not the actual photo)
Understandably, during a difficult period of grieving we want as few issues and inconveniences as possible. This can end up in a funeral costing far more than it should however, leaving an even greater burden on an already vulnerable and emotional family. We will all have to deal with death at some point in our lives, so it’s better to be prepared and knowledgeable about the funeral process beforehand isn’t it?
Tumblr user reillymouse recently decided to share her ‘fun funeral facts’ and it really got people talking. It’s heartbreaking to think that there are unscrupulous businesses out there, taking advantage of people’s grief to squeeze more cash from them. But such is the nature of capitalism. Where there is a way to increase profit, there will be some to whom the bottom line is all that matters.
The post got people discussing their own funeral wishes, some of which are hilariously creative. How would you like to go out? With an elaborate funeral full of sobbing mourners? Or simply have your ashes scattered on the ground somewhere? Join the discussion in the comments below.
Image credits: BJ Carter (not the actual photo)
My husband and I joked that when I die, he's going to wrap me in plastic, duct tape my hands to the steering wheel of my car and have me hauled by flat bed truck to the cemetery. The funeral procession that will follow the truck will all be on 50 cc scooters, dressed in their favorite beach attire. Graveside ceremonies will include my favorite tune being played on kazoos and a ukelele accompanied by a contest of who can remember the most embarrassing moment or funniest story of my life. The wake will include a luau style bbq on the beach with plenty of surfing, swimming and a limbo contest. Anyone who interferes with the funeral party having a good time will be subject to having water balloons lobbed at them by the rest of the crowd.
I love the idea of duct-taping your hands to the steering wheel of the car🤣 Would the tow truck blowing giant bubbles in the air be too much? 🤔
Load More Replies...I don't care what they do to my body, as long as I'm good and dead when they do it. I'm an organ donator, though I have a somewhat selfish motivation for it. I figure if they take my organs then that takes care of the fear of me waking up in a coffin or a furnace if they mislabeled me as dead.
Out of the same fear I'd like to be cremated, because I heard even if you wake up in a furnace, you are dead in a second, so I thought it's fine. Imagine waking up when they cut you into pieces! O_O
Load More Replies...Americans are so weird about funerals and I really don’t get why. Nobody in my family has ever been buried in a coffin or through a funeral home. I guess it’s just a middle eastern thing but we just wash the body, take off the clothes and jewelry, and put them in a clean white sheet. We buy a plot and just put them directly in the ground in the white sheet. Everyone living in my family plans for this same thing. I’m lost as to why people want a coffin. Even if it’s for the pretend comfort of your dead body, doesn’t the idea of being trapped in a box more horrifying than just laying down in cool, soft soil and going directly into the planet smoothly rather than turning into a creepy a*s mummy or rotting in an airtight box and all your rotted remains are stuck forever. The f**k? That doesn’t seem preferable. I would rather my body be bird food and worm poop than a pile of melted skin and guts.
... This isn't an "American" thing. Burials like these are common around the world. Originally, coffins were used to make sure diseases would not spread in earlier centuries, but it was also to avoid grave robbers stealing organs. Laying a person in the ground without a coffin is okay, but if they are in a "flood" zone, someone is going to see a body or two floating down the road. And the smell of open graves of thousands of dead people really isn't a pleasant thought when visiting the grave. There are also religious traditions of burying the dead in a sealed coffin so they would not rise. It depends on preference, culture, and overall finances. There are a lot of aspects that go into it, but essentially it is in the choice of the person (or the family).
Load More Replies...My husband wants to be cremated and wants me to do everything "on the cheap". The only thing he insists on is that the song "See You Later, Alligator" be played at the memorial.
My favorite alternative to all of this that I've found is EternalReefs.com, you become part of an artificial reef. They put a plaque on it, so you're memorialized, but also giving something back.
Another one of those posts, that assume we're all Americans here. There very different rules in different countries.
True. In many countries it is illegal to bury a body to anywhere else than a graveyard so the only alternative is to cremate the body and then spread the ashes somewhere else.
Load More Replies...Funeral homes in the U.S. even manipulate people’s religious beliefs for financial gain. After my Aunt died, one of my relatives e-mailed me that she had a crucifix in her coffin, and asked me if I wanted it. I said yes because I assumed it was a personal item of hers, like a small pendant necklace. I was wrong. It was an ugly mass-produced hollow metal crucifix almost 12 inches high. It was obvious that when she was planning her funeral arrangements, they asked her if she wanted a crucifix in her coffin. As a devout Catholic, she wouldn’t have said “no.” I’m not Catholic, but I believe in Jesus. When I saw this object that was not an object of faith, but was coldly calculated to squeeze more money out of a sincere person, I was filled with disgust. It didn’t represent Jesus to me. I threw it out.
When my mum passed - she was cremated as per her wishes. We rejected the standard "casket" and instead my brother converted her rosewood jewellery casket (40th wedding aniversary present from my dad) into a suitable and beautiful container for her ashes prior to putting them in the cremation plot. The Funeral service still charged us for their own casket. something like £150 to transport ashes 5 miles to be put in our own container. £150 for 10 minutes??
Load More Replies...In the UK if you own the land you can bury a body on it as long as the burial isn't too close to a water course (stream etc). So you could in theory be buried in your own garden. I'm hoping for a quiet spot on a bit of vacant land, no embalming, no coffin, I already did enough harm to the environment and I'd rather give the money to a local farmer than an undertaker.
There is a small wood, owned by a local farmer - my childhood stomping ground & 200 yds from where I grew up. Very dense, thick and silent - I would like to be buried there. Reminds me of a Cathedral.
Load More Replies...I want the cheapest possible option for me personally. I suppose I should have it doccumented as I guess close family don't like to feel they are being "tightfisted" about expenses at such a time. Might even donate myself to science- no point in organ donation at my age (if my organs can't even keep ME alive). Once I am gone - there is no point wasting money on me.
It is always a good idea to donate the body for the university. :) For example sometimes the future doctors and surgeons do not have enough bodies to train doing the surgical operations. Computer simulations and anatomy dolls just are not as good for training as a real human.
Load More Replies...In Germany, you have to bury even the ashes on a graveyard, no possibility to keep them at home.
Here in Finland the ash urn is not usually inspected before the burial so some people just bury the urn and the ashes have been buried to the alternative place. :)
Load More Replies...Don't forget about the unique Tibetan sky burials. Gruesome to some, but beautiful to others. I also recommend "Ask a Mortician" on YT. Her videos are NOT gross, or icky. She is an amazing person and you will learn SO much! And one more thing, 'cremains' from cremation contain absolutely NO fertilizing qualities. Your 'ashes' will NOT provide nutrients for any animal or plant. But it is still lovely to be buried with seeds, or scattered into water. I wanted to be a funeral home owner/director, but my life took me on another, lesser satisfactory route. I wanted to be ethical and NOT rip off grieving families. I wanted to promote honest funerary services. A shame I wasn't able to do it. Please become organ donors. You won't need those lungs anymore, trust me. Or that heart of yours. (My father was a heart recipient). I am a DONOR!! :-D
It's all such a hassle. I think I'll just opt out of that dying thing.
I don't want a funeral because I only have one person in my life and it would be a very pathetic funeral lol....I just want to be cremated and scattered somewhere pretty. Don't want an obituary either. Honestly, I just wish it was legal for my husband to just toss me on a bonfire and scoop up the ashes once the fire is out. I don't like to be around people and the thought of me dying and being "handled" by funeral people gives me anxiety all the time.
Know what you mean - Dont want to throw a party in case nobody came? I only really have 1 family member now. My mum's funeral had 200 people in the church. I don't really mind what happens to me afterwards. Need to doccument my wishes.
Load More Replies...I can't help myself - if you'd like to learn more on this topic, please find "Ask a mortician" on Youtube. Caitlyn, who runs it, is a wonderful person with tons of fascinating videos (many discussing the topics that are mentioned in this list).
You don't have to have a funeral - in the UK anyway - a friend of my mother-in-law's died and was cremated and we were all invited to a lunch in her honour - didn't even know when she was cremated.
In Austria, you are allowed to take part of the deceased's ashes home but you are required by law to leave part of it in a public cemetery. The real reason for this is probably the power the church has in our country but the official reason is that anyone has to get the chance to mourn at someone's grave. If you take all of the remains home, that's not possible.
A few years ago, a dear friend of mine died suddenly. Instead of a formal funeral, a bunch of his buds got together to tell funny stories about him. People came from several states - that is how popular and loved he was! We had loads of great laughs. To me it seemed a much better way to remember him than some stiffly formal sermon with gloomy music. Sure, a few tears were shed, but all in all it was a happy occasion.
It's not what happens to the body that bothers me so much, it's the funeral itself. I hate them because I'm a cryer and I'm always sobbing while even the close relatives aren't shedding a tear, or at least are doing so silently. It's embarassing for me and must be awkward for everyone else - honestly, hardly anyone cries at funerals besides me, it's crazy. After the last one I went to, I'm feeling inclined never to go to another one, unless it's my immediate family. I want mine to be a gathering, no speeches and silent sitting around, just turn up, chat amongst yourselves, have something to eat and toss me in the furnace.
Different people show sadness in different ways. You shouldn't feel ashamed of your feelings. If you are sad, what's wrong about crying?
Load More Replies...When I die I am torn between a few options, One would be having my remains scattered through out Disneyland (also I do not want to cremated.), Make a moderately size Meso-American pyramid in backyard and put in a sarcophagus wearing traditional Aztec funeral attire. to annoy and confuse future archeologist. Both of which I am really trying to decide.
Disneyland won't allow it. Many do on the sly; but it's not allowed.
Load More Replies...I have only two wishes, play 'Bad Brains - send no flowers' when i am burnt or buried and make sure everyone brings their animals, the more dogs the better.
I really like the idea of a home burial. The family cleans and prepares the body and then buries it on the property which sadly, is rarely legal in the US. I just can't stand the thought of the morticians (or whoever) taking the still warm body of my loved ones away before I am ready, and preparing them without compassion. When I had my dog put down and cremated at the vet, it was so SO much harder for me than when I've personally buried the bodies of animals that have died at home.
I really don't get the embalming and open casket thing, why would you want to see that?! (In Sweden we usually don't do that so I it seems really strange to me.) Just put me in a box (cheapest one) with some nice cloth thrown on top (for other people, I don't care) - then burn me. Eco urn sounds nice!
I want nobody to remember my funeral because of the epic hangovers left over from the wake the night before.
Burial at sea isn't legal. This is coming from my father in law, who is a 38 year Naval Captain, who would LOVE to be buried at sea but environmental laws now prohibit it.
Check out EternalReefs.com! I know it probably seems like I'm on their payroll, lol, but I'm not. Just a very cool way to handle end-of-life plans in my opinion.
Load More Replies...When my husband died we had a very accommodating funeral near by. He wanted to be cremated and the cardboard box was just fine with him, which is what we did. What was funny to me is that I found out you don't wear clothes, it's done in the nude, oh well, lol! I'm not sure I'm ready for that but it's what's going to happen. Make sure you discuss these things with other people ahead of time, though, you don't want any surprises. And FYI, we did not have a viewing, either. I couldn't afford the fancy stuff and neither of us wanted it. My kids understand that I want the same thing when my time comes.
And subtle about it, too. When my mother-in-law died, the funeral home offered a vault "with a lifetime guarantee". The two oldest siblings went for that, but my husband was like "Yeah but *whose* lifetime?"
Load More Replies...My partner and I have discussed what we want to happen to our bodies after we pop our clogs I want to donate my body to medical science if that's not possible then I will be cremated and have my ashes mixed with flower or tree seeds my partner wishes a cremation also with the same flower's or a tree I don't want to burden my Daughter's with experience funeral costs at a vulnerable time/**\
What am I missing? How do you have your remains scattered if you are not cremated. I am envisioning little people chunks being flung everywhere.
My Dad passed away in August 2014. We had arrangements made with The Neptune Society as my Father absolutely loved the sea. Two very nice young men came in a white vehicle that didn't look anything like a hearse and removed his body. It was all very low key and discreet. They were responsible for his cremation (a few of us had requested some of the cremains, which they provided with no qualms). The rest of his remains were then "buried" at sea. We had the option of accompanying them on the boat, but declined. Afterward, we were given the cremains requested (about a tablespoon each) and a certificate listing the latitude and longitude of where he was "interred". Very classy operation.
I want to be cremated and my ashes scattered somewhere beautiful. Hate the idea of rotting in the ground! A lot of people think that scattering ashes is illegal in the US, but I actually researched this and, with some restrictions, it is legal in most states. My only concern is that if I die young and my parents are tasked with my burial, they will not follow my wishes. They are very traditional and do not approve of the whole cremation/scattering thing. On the other hand - I'll be dead, so it does not really matter what is done with my body...
Fun fact! In Germany, you aren't "laid to rest, eternally". Your relatives merely rent the place your mortal remains are stored. The rental period is always about 20 years (and can be renewed). After that, it's up above the ground and into the crematory again. Your remains are then disposed. And the burial site is open for another, uh, tenant.
Not sure if my organs would be useful for anything except study ("How the hell did her kidneys do THAT!?!?"), so I've long thought cremation, and then burial with a young tree on top or with tree seeds, would be the best and most useful option.
Same here - dont think my liver would be much use and am blind as a bat.
Load More Replies...my grandfather was a gravedigger, when he died he was cremated and the ashes were buried in a cardboard box. He knew that nobody would come to visit his grave
My father said that we could stuff him into a barrel and leave it by the roadside or turn his remains into soap; he really didn't care. We didn't do either, of course, but when we went cheap at the funeral home, the salesman looked at us as if we were disappointing vermin. I don't want a salesman to profit from my death. I would like a traditional Himalayan "sky burial": chuck my corpse up into a tree and let the birds peck away.
My grandpa said" stick a bone up my butt and let the dogs drag me away". Lol. I miss you grandpa.
Load More Replies...I will give my body to science , is just a body .. my organs if they good. We all gonna die , it´s beginning no an end!!
Such a variety of thoughts. For genealogical purposes, however, there should be a record as to burial site, where ashes were scattered, etc. While there are strict laws in the US about where and how of burials, many tribes allow interment on reservation property.
In Canada they don't bury bodies in coffins. They mandate that all bodies be buried within 20' of a Maple tree to aid in fertilizing and feeding the national symbol. Honestly anyone and everyone who has ever enjoyed maple syrup from Canada is literally eating prevIous Canadians.
Y'all should watch "Ask a Mortician " on YouTube. Very funny spin on the funeral and death business
When my very conservative Grandma was alive, she once said at a family Christmas party that she didn't want any fuss and nonsense when she died. My uncle said, 'Mother, we'll have you lying in state in Westminster Cathedral, and there'll be nothing you can do about it'. Our family has a weird sense of humour.
I worked at a funeral parlour, and quite frankly, I could never quite understand how standing around a casket with gutted, pickled, smeared with make-up corpse can bring someone solace. That's aside the insane costs. Seeing +$1000 flower arrangements wilt next to a dumpster after receptions (although, sometimes they would be donated to senior residences). Personal thing I guess... as per my will - no frills, cremation, biodegradable urn, plant a tree over me, no headstones and c**p, donations to local animal welfare organizations in lieu of flowers...
I either want to be planted as a tree seed or have a natural burial.
Death rituals are VERY cultural. Someone else's ritual may seem bizarre to you but they are as "sensible" to them as yours are to you. That being said, I want my body given to a taxidermist then set on the couch with a beer in one hand and the TV remote in the other -- so life like!
Harvest my organs and then donate me to the body farm. Just make sure I'm in a very dark and crazy position of some kind.
One thing they didn't note is that both burial (with embalming) and cremation are bad for the environment, really bad. And for what? I don't get it.
I've always wanted to go Grenade Fishing, so when I die, I want to be floated out to sea with a few grenades strapped to me, with a long piece of string tied to the pin. Then my friends can draw lots to see who pulls the string! And any fish that float to the surface after the explosion can be eaten at the wake!
This funeral home offers funeral PARTIES so your loved ones can celebrate your life without you! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21XT_6gJFvI
I have donated my body to Science. After the medical school is finished with it whatever remains there are will be Fed Exed to my son who refuses to bring his children to see me or to even give me an address so I can write to him. So if he can't deal with me in life he can deal with me in death! Don't mess with an old lady in Texas!
I once saw something about a company that can use your ashes to create a piece of jewelry that you can have as a keepsake and my husband and I thought it was a great idea, something that can be passed down each generation. Either that or we both agreed on becoming a tree and giving back to the earth :)
Ask A Mortician is really good (and funny!) YouTube channel, I have subscribed that a long time. My body will be donated for one university - there it can be used for scientific research or then the future doctors and surgeons can practice doing various surgical operations with that body.
When my dad passed and we found out he would be put in a cardboard box for cremation I could hear him laughing from the other side ;) he would have found it hilarious
I don't believe in afterlife. I feel that letting your energy release is the closest thing we got. Ideally my body would be chucked into outer space so my energy can see more of the universe, but failing that I told my partner to just shove my body in the ground so it can be absorbed by the earth.
My father is buried in a natural woodland area, his coffin was cardboard, no flowers are allowed, the most expensive part was getting his name added to the monolith. This was all offered by the local (family/independent) funeral parlour and came in at less than £5k. If you know what you want and have a sympathetic funeral director then you are not going to have any problems. Admittedly here we have a big thing going for woodland burials and the people of Yorkshire are notoriously reluctant to spend money but also back family businesses so these businesses know not to overcharge us.
I have an immune deficiency that prevents me from donating organs, so I'm donating my body to science. It's best to plan for that in advance and understand what your body may be used for and be certain your family understands and is comfortable with the details. Depending on how and where you donate, your body could be used to further medical research or to train in forensics and your body may not all end up in the same place, particularly if you use a body broker. Several states have body collection services that require intact remains and those that don't have schools and programs you can sign up with directly. Not really sure how it works outside of the US, but it's best to do your research now and understand what you want for your body when you die.
Once I am dead I don't mind - so long as my body is free and no-one gains from it other than researchers. I would hope that is the case in the UK.
Load More Replies...I h9nestly do not care what happens to my body. I will be dead. I would like for it to go to science, but if a group of necrophiliacs ends up with it what can i do
Thanks for that. Have some advice in return. Sentences must start with a capital letter! :D That aside, I'd go for a sky burial, like in Tibet, where your body is left in the countryside for wild animals to eat. Ultimate recycling!
Are you OCD - or just the grammar police? I was a secretary - now no longer - therefore I can type how I please - so long as you understand it, with or without a capital letter, a comma or a full-stop.....................................
Load More Replies...How do begin a conversation with family?? Telling them your last wishes? I just gave my brother my computer paassword/bank details etc - he can find everything on there.
That idea is not bad at all, I don't know why you get so many downvotes?
Load More Replies...My husband and I joked that when I die, he's going to wrap me in plastic, duct tape my hands to the steering wheel of my car and have me hauled by flat bed truck to the cemetery. The funeral procession that will follow the truck will all be on 50 cc scooters, dressed in their favorite beach attire. Graveside ceremonies will include my favorite tune being played on kazoos and a ukelele accompanied by a contest of who can remember the most embarrassing moment or funniest story of my life. The wake will include a luau style bbq on the beach with plenty of surfing, swimming and a limbo contest. Anyone who interferes with the funeral party having a good time will be subject to having water balloons lobbed at them by the rest of the crowd.
I love the idea of duct-taping your hands to the steering wheel of the car🤣 Would the tow truck blowing giant bubbles in the air be too much? 🤔
Load More Replies...I don't care what they do to my body, as long as I'm good and dead when they do it. I'm an organ donator, though I have a somewhat selfish motivation for it. I figure if they take my organs then that takes care of the fear of me waking up in a coffin or a furnace if they mislabeled me as dead.
Out of the same fear I'd like to be cremated, because I heard even if you wake up in a furnace, you are dead in a second, so I thought it's fine. Imagine waking up when they cut you into pieces! O_O
Load More Replies...Americans are so weird about funerals and I really don’t get why. Nobody in my family has ever been buried in a coffin or through a funeral home. I guess it’s just a middle eastern thing but we just wash the body, take off the clothes and jewelry, and put them in a clean white sheet. We buy a plot and just put them directly in the ground in the white sheet. Everyone living in my family plans for this same thing. I’m lost as to why people want a coffin. Even if it’s for the pretend comfort of your dead body, doesn’t the idea of being trapped in a box more horrifying than just laying down in cool, soft soil and going directly into the planet smoothly rather than turning into a creepy a*s mummy or rotting in an airtight box and all your rotted remains are stuck forever. The f**k? That doesn’t seem preferable. I would rather my body be bird food and worm poop than a pile of melted skin and guts.
... This isn't an "American" thing. Burials like these are common around the world. Originally, coffins were used to make sure diseases would not spread in earlier centuries, but it was also to avoid grave robbers stealing organs. Laying a person in the ground without a coffin is okay, but if they are in a "flood" zone, someone is going to see a body or two floating down the road. And the smell of open graves of thousands of dead people really isn't a pleasant thought when visiting the grave. There are also religious traditions of burying the dead in a sealed coffin so they would not rise. It depends on preference, culture, and overall finances. There are a lot of aspects that go into it, but essentially it is in the choice of the person (or the family).
Load More Replies...My husband wants to be cremated and wants me to do everything "on the cheap". The only thing he insists on is that the song "See You Later, Alligator" be played at the memorial.
My favorite alternative to all of this that I've found is EternalReefs.com, you become part of an artificial reef. They put a plaque on it, so you're memorialized, but also giving something back.
Another one of those posts, that assume we're all Americans here. There very different rules in different countries.
True. In many countries it is illegal to bury a body to anywhere else than a graveyard so the only alternative is to cremate the body and then spread the ashes somewhere else.
Load More Replies...Funeral homes in the U.S. even manipulate people’s religious beliefs for financial gain. After my Aunt died, one of my relatives e-mailed me that she had a crucifix in her coffin, and asked me if I wanted it. I said yes because I assumed it was a personal item of hers, like a small pendant necklace. I was wrong. It was an ugly mass-produced hollow metal crucifix almost 12 inches high. It was obvious that when she was planning her funeral arrangements, they asked her if she wanted a crucifix in her coffin. As a devout Catholic, she wouldn’t have said “no.” I’m not Catholic, but I believe in Jesus. When I saw this object that was not an object of faith, but was coldly calculated to squeeze more money out of a sincere person, I was filled with disgust. It didn’t represent Jesus to me. I threw it out.
When my mum passed - she was cremated as per her wishes. We rejected the standard "casket" and instead my brother converted her rosewood jewellery casket (40th wedding aniversary present from my dad) into a suitable and beautiful container for her ashes prior to putting them in the cremation plot. The Funeral service still charged us for their own casket. something like £150 to transport ashes 5 miles to be put in our own container. £150 for 10 minutes??
Load More Replies...In the UK if you own the land you can bury a body on it as long as the burial isn't too close to a water course (stream etc). So you could in theory be buried in your own garden. I'm hoping for a quiet spot on a bit of vacant land, no embalming, no coffin, I already did enough harm to the environment and I'd rather give the money to a local farmer than an undertaker.
There is a small wood, owned by a local farmer - my childhood stomping ground & 200 yds from where I grew up. Very dense, thick and silent - I would like to be buried there. Reminds me of a Cathedral.
Load More Replies...I want the cheapest possible option for me personally. I suppose I should have it doccumented as I guess close family don't like to feel they are being "tightfisted" about expenses at such a time. Might even donate myself to science- no point in organ donation at my age (if my organs can't even keep ME alive). Once I am gone - there is no point wasting money on me.
It is always a good idea to donate the body for the university. :) For example sometimes the future doctors and surgeons do not have enough bodies to train doing the surgical operations. Computer simulations and anatomy dolls just are not as good for training as a real human.
Load More Replies...In Germany, you have to bury even the ashes on a graveyard, no possibility to keep them at home.
Here in Finland the ash urn is not usually inspected before the burial so some people just bury the urn and the ashes have been buried to the alternative place. :)
Load More Replies...Don't forget about the unique Tibetan sky burials. Gruesome to some, but beautiful to others. I also recommend "Ask a Mortician" on YT. Her videos are NOT gross, or icky. She is an amazing person and you will learn SO much! And one more thing, 'cremains' from cremation contain absolutely NO fertilizing qualities. Your 'ashes' will NOT provide nutrients for any animal or plant. But it is still lovely to be buried with seeds, or scattered into water. I wanted to be a funeral home owner/director, but my life took me on another, lesser satisfactory route. I wanted to be ethical and NOT rip off grieving families. I wanted to promote honest funerary services. A shame I wasn't able to do it. Please become organ donors. You won't need those lungs anymore, trust me. Or that heart of yours. (My father was a heart recipient). I am a DONOR!! :-D
It's all such a hassle. I think I'll just opt out of that dying thing.
I don't want a funeral because I only have one person in my life and it would be a very pathetic funeral lol....I just want to be cremated and scattered somewhere pretty. Don't want an obituary either. Honestly, I just wish it was legal for my husband to just toss me on a bonfire and scoop up the ashes once the fire is out. I don't like to be around people and the thought of me dying and being "handled" by funeral people gives me anxiety all the time.
Know what you mean - Dont want to throw a party in case nobody came? I only really have 1 family member now. My mum's funeral had 200 people in the church. I don't really mind what happens to me afterwards. Need to doccument my wishes.
Load More Replies...I can't help myself - if you'd like to learn more on this topic, please find "Ask a mortician" on Youtube. Caitlyn, who runs it, is a wonderful person with tons of fascinating videos (many discussing the topics that are mentioned in this list).
You don't have to have a funeral - in the UK anyway - a friend of my mother-in-law's died and was cremated and we were all invited to a lunch in her honour - didn't even know when she was cremated.
In Austria, you are allowed to take part of the deceased's ashes home but you are required by law to leave part of it in a public cemetery. The real reason for this is probably the power the church has in our country but the official reason is that anyone has to get the chance to mourn at someone's grave. If you take all of the remains home, that's not possible.
A few years ago, a dear friend of mine died suddenly. Instead of a formal funeral, a bunch of his buds got together to tell funny stories about him. People came from several states - that is how popular and loved he was! We had loads of great laughs. To me it seemed a much better way to remember him than some stiffly formal sermon with gloomy music. Sure, a few tears were shed, but all in all it was a happy occasion.
It's not what happens to the body that bothers me so much, it's the funeral itself. I hate them because I'm a cryer and I'm always sobbing while even the close relatives aren't shedding a tear, or at least are doing so silently. It's embarassing for me and must be awkward for everyone else - honestly, hardly anyone cries at funerals besides me, it's crazy. After the last one I went to, I'm feeling inclined never to go to another one, unless it's my immediate family. I want mine to be a gathering, no speeches and silent sitting around, just turn up, chat amongst yourselves, have something to eat and toss me in the furnace.
Different people show sadness in different ways. You shouldn't feel ashamed of your feelings. If you are sad, what's wrong about crying?
Load More Replies...When I die I am torn between a few options, One would be having my remains scattered through out Disneyland (also I do not want to cremated.), Make a moderately size Meso-American pyramid in backyard and put in a sarcophagus wearing traditional Aztec funeral attire. to annoy and confuse future archeologist. Both of which I am really trying to decide.
Disneyland won't allow it. Many do on the sly; but it's not allowed.
Load More Replies...I have only two wishes, play 'Bad Brains - send no flowers' when i am burnt or buried and make sure everyone brings their animals, the more dogs the better.
I really like the idea of a home burial. The family cleans and prepares the body and then buries it on the property which sadly, is rarely legal in the US. I just can't stand the thought of the morticians (or whoever) taking the still warm body of my loved ones away before I am ready, and preparing them without compassion. When I had my dog put down and cremated at the vet, it was so SO much harder for me than when I've personally buried the bodies of animals that have died at home.
I really don't get the embalming and open casket thing, why would you want to see that?! (In Sweden we usually don't do that so I it seems really strange to me.) Just put me in a box (cheapest one) with some nice cloth thrown on top (for other people, I don't care) - then burn me. Eco urn sounds nice!
I want nobody to remember my funeral because of the epic hangovers left over from the wake the night before.
Burial at sea isn't legal. This is coming from my father in law, who is a 38 year Naval Captain, who would LOVE to be buried at sea but environmental laws now prohibit it.
Check out EternalReefs.com! I know it probably seems like I'm on their payroll, lol, but I'm not. Just a very cool way to handle end-of-life plans in my opinion.
Load More Replies...When my husband died we had a very accommodating funeral near by. He wanted to be cremated and the cardboard box was just fine with him, which is what we did. What was funny to me is that I found out you don't wear clothes, it's done in the nude, oh well, lol! I'm not sure I'm ready for that but it's what's going to happen. Make sure you discuss these things with other people ahead of time, though, you don't want any surprises. And FYI, we did not have a viewing, either. I couldn't afford the fancy stuff and neither of us wanted it. My kids understand that I want the same thing when my time comes.
And subtle about it, too. When my mother-in-law died, the funeral home offered a vault "with a lifetime guarantee". The two oldest siblings went for that, but my husband was like "Yeah but *whose* lifetime?"
Load More Replies...My partner and I have discussed what we want to happen to our bodies after we pop our clogs I want to donate my body to medical science if that's not possible then I will be cremated and have my ashes mixed with flower or tree seeds my partner wishes a cremation also with the same flower's or a tree I don't want to burden my Daughter's with experience funeral costs at a vulnerable time/**\
What am I missing? How do you have your remains scattered if you are not cremated. I am envisioning little people chunks being flung everywhere.
My Dad passed away in August 2014. We had arrangements made with The Neptune Society as my Father absolutely loved the sea. Two very nice young men came in a white vehicle that didn't look anything like a hearse and removed his body. It was all very low key and discreet. They were responsible for his cremation (a few of us had requested some of the cremains, which they provided with no qualms). The rest of his remains were then "buried" at sea. We had the option of accompanying them on the boat, but declined. Afterward, we were given the cremains requested (about a tablespoon each) and a certificate listing the latitude and longitude of where he was "interred". Very classy operation.
I want to be cremated and my ashes scattered somewhere beautiful. Hate the idea of rotting in the ground! A lot of people think that scattering ashes is illegal in the US, but I actually researched this and, with some restrictions, it is legal in most states. My only concern is that if I die young and my parents are tasked with my burial, they will not follow my wishes. They are very traditional and do not approve of the whole cremation/scattering thing. On the other hand - I'll be dead, so it does not really matter what is done with my body...
Fun fact! In Germany, you aren't "laid to rest, eternally". Your relatives merely rent the place your mortal remains are stored. The rental period is always about 20 years (and can be renewed). After that, it's up above the ground and into the crematory again. Your remains are then disposed. And the burial site is open for another, uh, tenant.
Not sure if my organs would be useful for anything except study ("How the hell did her kidneys do THAT!?!?"), so I've long thought cremation, and then burial with a young tree on top or with tree seeds, would be the best and most useful option.
Same here - dont think my liver would be much use and am blind as a bat.
Load More Replies...my grandfather was a gravedigger, when he died he was cremated and the ashes were buried in a cardboard box. He knew that nobody would come to visit his grave
My father said that we could stuff him into a barrel and leave it by the roadside or turn his remains into soap; he really didn't care. We didn't do either, of course, but when we went cheap at the funeral home, the salesman looked at us as if we were disappointing vermin. I don't want a salesman to profit from my death. I would like a traditional Himalayan "sky burial": chuck my corpse up into a tree and let the birds peck away.
My grandpa said" stick a bone up my butt and let the dogs drag me away". Lol. I miss you grandpa.
Load More Replies...I will give my body to science , is just a body .. my organs if they good. We all gonna die , it´s beginning no an end!!
Such a variety of thoughts. For genealogical purposes, however, there should be a record as to burial site, where ashes were scattered, etc. While there are strict laws in the US about where and how of burials, many tribes allow interment on reservation property.
In Canada they don't bury bodies in coffins. They mandate that all bodies be buried within 20' of a Maple tree to aid in fertilizing and feeding the national symbol. Honestly anyone and everyone who has ever enjoyed maple syrup from Canada is literally eating prevIous Canadians.
Y'all should watch "Ask a Mortician " on YouTube. Very funny spin on the funeral and death business
When my very conservative Grandma was alive, she once said at a family Christmas party that she didn't want any fuss and nonsense when she died. My uncle said, 'Mother, we'll have you lying in state in Westminster Cathedral, and there'll be nothing you can do about it'. Our family has a weird sense of humour.
I worked at a funeral parlour, and quite frankly, I could never quite understand how standing around a casket with gutted, pickled, smeared with make-up corpse can bring someone solace. That's aside the insane costs. Seeing +$1000 flower arrangements wilt next to a dumpster after receptions (although, sometimes they would be donated to senior residences). Personal thing I guess... as per my will - no frills, cremation, biodegradable urn, plant a tree over me, no headstones and c**p, donations to local animal welfare organizations in lieu of flowers...
I either want to be planted as a tree seed or have a natural burial.
Death rituals are VERY cultural. Someone else's ritual may seem bizarre to you but they are as "sensible" to them as yours are to you. That being said, I want my body given to a taxidermist then set on the couch with a beer in one hand and the TV remote in the other -- so life like!
Harvest my organs and then donate me to the body farm. Just make sure I'm in a very dark and crazy position of some kind.
One thing they didn't note is that both burial (with embalming) and cremation are bad for the environment, really bad. And for what? I don't get it.
I've always wanted to go Grenade Fishing, so when I die, I want to be floated out to sea with a few grenades strapped to me, with a long piece of string tied to the pin. Then my friends can draw lots to see who pulls the string! And any fish that float to the surface after the explosion can be eaten at the wake!
This funeral home offers funeral PARTIES so your loved ones can celebrate your life without you! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21XT_6gJFvI
I have donated my body to Science. After the medical school is finished with it whatever remains there are will be Fed Exed to my son who refuses to bring his children to see me or to even give me an address so I can write to him. So if he can't deal with me in life he can deal with me in death! Don't mess with an old lady in Texas!
I once saw something about a company that can use your ashes to create a piece of jewelry that you can have as a keepsake and my husband and I thought it was a great idea, something that can be passed down each generation. Either that or we both agreed on becoming a tree and giving back to the earth :)
Ask A Mortician is really good (and funny!) YouTube channel, I have subscribed that a long time. My body will be donated for one university - there it can be used for scientific research or then the future doctors and surgeons can practice doing various surgical operations with that body.
When my dad passed and we found out he would be put in a cardboard box for cremation I could hear him laughing from the other side ;) he would have found it hilarious
I don't believe in afterlife. I feel that letting your energy release is the closest thing we got. Ideally my body would be chucked into outer space so my energy can see more of the universe, but failing that I told my partner to just shove my body in the ground so it can be absorbed by the earth.
My father is buried in a natural woodland area, his coffin was cardboard, no flowers are allowed, the most expensive part was getting his name added to the monolith. This was all offered by the local (family/independent) funeral parlour and came in at less than £5k. If you know what you want and have a sympathetic funeral director then you are not going to have any problems. Admittedly here we have a big thing going for woodland burials and the people of Yorkshire are notoriously reluctant to spend money but also back family businesses so these businesses know not to overcharge us.
I have an immune deficiency that prevents me from donating organs, so I'm donating my body to science. It's best to plan for that in advance and understand what your body may be used for and be certain your family understands and is comfortable with the details. Depending on how and where you donate, your body could be used to further medical research or to train in forensics and your body may not all end up in the same place, particularly if you use a body broker. Several states have body collection services that require intact remains and those that don't have schools and programs you can sign up with directly. Not really sure how it works outside of the US, but it's best to do your research now and understand what you want for your body when you die.
Once I am dead I don't mind - so long as my body is free and no-one gains from it other than researchers. I would hope that is the case in the UK.
Load More Replies...I h9nestly do not care what happens to my body. I will be dead. I would like for it to go to science, but if a group of necrophiliacs ends up with it what can i do
Thanks for that. Have some advice in return. Sentences must start with a capital letter! :D That aside, I'd go for a sky burial, like in Tibet, where your body is left in the countryside for wild animals to eat. Ultimate recycling!
Are you OCD - or just the grammar police? I was a secretary - now no longer - therefore I can type how I please - so long as you understand it, with or without a capital letter, a comma or a full-stop.....................................
Load More Replies...How do begin a conversation with family?? Telling them your last wishes? I just gave my brother my computer paassword/bank details etc - he can find everything on there.
That idea is not bad at all, I don't know why you get so many downvotes?
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