Gail Rubin undertook her second annual “30 Funerals in 30 Days Challenge” during October 2011. She attended and blogged about a funeral or memorial service daily at The Family Plot Blog. The goal: show the many creative and meaningful ways families celebrate the lives of those they love, and help get the funeral planning conversation started.
Like the characters from the cult film Harold and Maude, Rubin attended an Albuquerque-area funeral or memorial service daily. The difference is she posted stories about each event every day at her blog The Family Plot.
She witnessed a memorial luncheon in a bowling alley bar, a funeral for a Dallas Cowboys fan, a memorial service for a young TV news reporter, and a celebration of life for a hot air balloon pioneer. There was “My Big Fat Italian Funeral” home celebration of life, a service that featured a jazz quartet in a club, and a ceremony in a Japanese garden.
Last year, after 30 funerals in 30 days during November 2010, Rubin reported that there is no shortage of people dying, creative memorial events are a growing trend, and families are holding a wide range of religious and non-religious services.
Among the most memorable were services with two pews of Red Hat Society ladies in full regalia, a Harley Davidson motorcycle in a funeral chapel, an artist’s remembrance that featured her favorite lemon meringue pie, an AA meeting-style remembrance for an addiction counselor, and a funeral for a fallen police officer.
Check out all the 30 Funerals in 30 Days Challenge posts at The Family Plot Blog.
