The Family Plot Blog
Ease Pet Loss Issues with EternityGardens.com
The market for pet funerals, cremations, and burial is characterized as the fastest-growing segment of the US funeral industry. In a recent report by the Pet Loss Professionals Association, as many as 1.9 million pets were mourned with a funeral service – with the vast number of those pets being cremated. EternityGardens.com, a technology platform that connects cremation families with cemeteries and scattering services where they can lay to...
Trey Ganem’s Personalized Caskets Featured on National TV
The reporter on the NBC-TV story called Trey Ganem "The Louis Vuitton of the casket industry." Based in tiny Edna, Texas, his highly-personalized caskets are available at a comparable cost to ordinary caskets, yet they are incredibly personalized. Many run $2,000 to $4,000 and can be delivered in 24 hours. I first met Trey Ganem at the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association's convention and expo in 2014. Check out this...
Popular Mechanics on Cremation and Memorialization
"Burning Out: What Really Happens Inside a Crematorium," a huge feature story in the March 2018 issue of Popular Mechanics, covers just about everything you'd want to know about cremation. You can read the full article by Caren Chesler online. Among the topics covered in this impressive article: Cemeteries and columbaria - how the growing trend toward cremation is changing memorialization of the dead. Why the U.S. cremation rate skyrocketed...
Grandpa’s in the TUFF SHED at Frozen Dead Guy Days
Frozen Dead Guy Days, held March 9-11, 2018, a wild and wacky celebration of all things dead and frozen, is coming soon! The festival features a parade of hearses, coffin races on a snowy obstacle course, costumed polar plunging, frozen T-shirt contests, The Newly-Dead Game®, music, parties, and much more. Gail Rubin, The Doyenne of Death® and creator of The Newly-Dead Game®, will host screenings of the 25-minute 1998 documentary, “Grandpa’s in...
Pre-Need Funeral Planning in the News
The New York Times and the Huffington Post in Canada just ran separate articles on pre-need funeral planning. I hope this prompts more people to take action and actually plan ahead for this inevitable life cycle event. Smarter Living (and Dying!) The New York Times Smarter Living section ran Want to Plan for Your Death and Funeral? Here's How on February 20, 2018. The story by Christine Colby covers: What constitutes pre-need funeral...
If Your Home Was on Fire, What Would You Save?
If your house was on fire and you had one minute to grab any item, what would you take and why? National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday featured an interview with actresses Ellen Burstyn and Amber Tamblyn talking with host Lulu Garcia-Navarro about their latest film project, Nostalgia. In this seven-and-a-half minute interview, they discuss the value we place on the objects in our lives. The ensemble cast includes Jon Hamm and Catherine...
Can You Actually Benefit from Sadness?
We live in an era when sadness is avoided at great cost to our emotional psyches. Funerals are now celebrations of life. Even though death and loss breaks hearts, many people strive to stay positive and upbeat. “Must not cry” is the unconscious mantra of many grievers – and it’s harmful. In “The Gift and Power of Emotional Courage,” a TEDWomen 2017 talk by psychologist Susan David, she explains why it’s good to embrace so-called “negative”...
Dogs Find Lost Cremated Remains and Other News
Keeping the cremated remains of loved ones around the house? This NPR story on Weekend Edition Sunday will make you consider finding a permanent final resting place for those remains. Forensic Search Dogs Sniff Out Human Ashes in Wildfire Wreckage takes listeners to Santa Rosa, California, where wildfires in October reduced hundreds of homes to ashes. How do you find human ashes within home ashes? These amazing dogs are finding them and helping...
How to Decompose Naturally and Other News
Is minimizing your post-mortem carbon footprint a concern for you? Mark your calendar for February 17, to attend "Green Burial Options in New Mexico," my talk at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park. There's more info below, along with a blog post about tips to make pet loss more bearable and eco-friendly. February 14, there's "Do This For The People You Love," a talk on downsizing and organizing for end-of-life issues. Scroll down for more...
The Funny Obituary for Terry Ward That Went Viral
When a well-written obituary goes viral, it confirms that our life stories are worthy of sharing. Terry Ward's obituary, written by his daughter Jean Lahm, will have you laughing and wishing you knew the man. She works at Geisen Funeral Home, and knew the obituary had to match her dad's personality. Here's what appeared on the Geisen Funeral Homes' website: Terry Wayne Ward, age 71, of DeMotte, IN, escaped this mortal realm on Tuesday, January...
Feb. 24: ABQ Death Cafe
The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will be held Saturday, February 24, 2018, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. This event will take place in the Community Room at Manzano Del Sol Village, 5201 Roma NE, Albuquerque. It is located just south of Lomas Blvd. and just west of San Mateo Blvd. Refreshments will be provided. The event is free and donations are welcome. Send a note to Gail [at] AGoodGoodbye.com to RSVP. As an alternative, join the Albuquerque Death...
A Week’s Worth of Interesting Death News
Over the past week, I've seen some interesting news stories and opinion pieces on death, cleaning up after "lonely" deaths in Japan, what cremated remains mean to us, clutter clearing, dementia-specific advance directives, and a TED talk video on the importance of talking about your death while you are still healthy. Click on the headlines to read each story. Death: The Greatest Teacher Lion's Roar January 12, 2018 by Judy Leif -- The Buddha...
Five Tips About Eco-Friendly Pet Cremation You Need to Know NOW
There’s never a convenient time for a pet to die. But according Phillip Vallelunga from Adoring Pet Funeral Home & Cremation Services in Fraser, Michigan, pet owners can take these key steps to ease the pain of saying goodbye to a beloved dog, cat or other companion animal. 1. Pets are part of the family. Just like our human relatives, pets deserve a dignified and personalized memorial service. This recognition can help process the intense...
Feb. 17: Green Burial Options in New Mexico
In New Mexico's high desert climate, “green” burial is actually “brown” burial. However, you have many options to minimize your after-death carbon footprint. Make your final disposition more eco-friendly by avoiding embalming, rethinking cremation, choosing biodegradable caskets and urns, and even considering holding a home/DIY funeral. Come learn about your options for returning to the earth as naturally as possible in the Land of...
Review: Caitlin Doughty’s New Book ‘From Here to Eternity’
Caitlin Doughty is a woman on a mission to redefine death. Most of the established funeral industry can't stand her, and in her newest book, From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find The Good Death, you sense the feeling is mutual. Yet, when it comes to discussing death and funerals, she is making an impact. Doughty has made remarkable strides over the past few years to get people, especially younger people, to discuss mortality...
News and Videos on Life and Death
These past two weeks we've had news stories about celebrity deaths, funeral business developments, and a nuclear annihilation false alarm. Could the zeitgeist be shifting to discussing death honestly? Links to these and other news stories follow. There's an Albuquerque Death Cafe at my house this Saturday, January 20 at 3:00 p.m. Please email Gail[at]AGoodGoodbye.com if you'd like to attend and I'll send you directions. It's going to be a big...
These Books on End-Of-Life Issues Are Enlightening
As The Doyenne of Death®, books about end-of-life, estate and funeral planning, and related topics are must-reads. A number of excellent titles were published in 2017. Here are short reviews of seven books that can help you face the inevitable. Click on each book title to get it from Amazon. Dealing with Doctors, Denial, and Death: A Guide to Living Well with Serious Illness by Aroop Mangalik, MD (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers) Dr. Aroop...
Holograms Let You Speak From The Great Beyond
Holographic messages from loved ones who have died are no longer the "what if" stuff of Star Wars. Artistry In Motion Holographics (AIM) recently introduced a new service to the funeral industry: life-sized 3D moving images of pre-recorded messages from the yet-to-be deceased. In this video below, AIM CEO Carl Minado looks like Col. Sanders, but it was October 31 at the 2017 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) convention, so he...
It’s a New Year: Live For Today
Welcome to 2018. In 2017, we saw the deaths of many beloved musicians, celebrities, and notable people. Their passings remind us to make the most of every day, to live for today, as tomorrow is not promised. It also reminds us to make our end-of-life plans while we can. Not because we're planning to die, but because we are fully alive. As Mark Twain said, "The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die...
Jan. 20: Albuquerque Death Cafe
As the New Year gets going, think about experiencing a Death Cafe as one of your bucket list items. It's an opportunity to relax over some coffee or tea, some cake or cookies, and join in a group discussion to talk about what’s on your mind about mortality issues. Participants always give the event high marks! The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will take place on Saturday, January 20, 2018, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Gail Rubin's home. If you...
LoveUrns Offers New Cremation Urns and Jewelry
Coffee and cremated remains, urns and cremation jewelry... Among my favorite exhibitors to visit at funeral trade shows are the friendly Khan family, proprietors of LoveUrns®. The fact that they usually have an espresso bar offering free caffeinated delights in their booth always scores big points. LoveUrns® is known for their creative, beautifully-designed solid brass urns. At the 2017 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) convention,...