The Family Plot Blog
‘Hail and Farewell’ Provides Cremation Memorial Service Guidance
When someone says, “Just cremate me after I'm dead,” the family often has no clue what to do for a memorial service or final disposition of the remains. The new book, Hail and Farewell: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips, will help families with memorial service guidance and creative ideas. The book by Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and Certified Funeral Celebrant, and Susan Fraser, respected memorial authority, covers everything...
Trey Ganem Personalized Caskets at NFDA
Personalizing caskets gives grieving families a different way to celebrate the life of someone who has died. For Trey Ganem, making these caskets is a dream come true. He uses his intuitive gift for sensing the spirit of the person and designing a casket that reflects each individual. From a humble start in 2014 as a one-person shop in Edina, Texas, he now has a team of people helping create fantastic caskets as well as creative urns. His...
StoryClip Preserves Condolences on Video
New technology for funeral homes gets introduced every year at the NFDA convention. At the 2015 expo, StoryClip launched its new service to provide video condolences and messages from the deceased (recorded before they die, of course). Dustin Vik, co-founder and president of StoryClip, explained how the process works. "StoryClip is a tablet-based kiosk that allows family and friends to leave video condolences at your funeral home," he said. At...
Body Donation Details with LifeLegacy Foundation
UPDATE: As of February 2017, Science Care has taken over the day-to-day operations of LifeLegacy Foundation and Legacy Placement Services. Call Science Care to make body donation arrangements at 1-800-417-3747.
Using Cremated Remains to Make Portraits
As far as Dusty Jonakin knows, he's the first artist to paint portraits of deceased people and pets using only their cremated remains and linseed oil. There's no paint involved. He came up with the idea in 2009, while discussing the topic of cremation with his buddy Donnie Roberts. A year and a half later, Donnie was tragically killed by a car while he was walking home from work. Jonakin was good friends with Donnie and his wife. They knew he...
Vision Casket: Economical Cremation and Burial Products
There's always something new to learn about the funeral business when covering funeral conventions. In a conversation at the NFDA expo with Mark Elder, VP of Sales for Vision Casket, I learned more about the relationships between casket manufacturers and the end user - the funeral home and the families they serve. Vision Casket manufactures economical burial and cremation caskets in lightweight corrugated fiberboard and plastic cremation urns -...
Green Burial Products from Passages International
Passages International is a company that specializes in biodegradable and eco-friendly funeral products. The company's president Darren Crouch was at the 2015 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) convention and took a moment to share some thoughts about the industry. "We're getting a lot of interest," said Crouch. "I think that funeral directors are realizing they have to offer greener alternatives. Just like when you go to a Toyota...
![[Animation] The Meaning of Day of the Dead](https://i0.wp.com/agoodgoodbye.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Dia-de-los-Muertos.jpg?resize=242%2C250&ssl=1)
[Animation] The Meaning of Day of the Dead
Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is a time to celebrate lives lived. There's a long history behind it, involving ancient Meso-American cultures in Central America and Mexico, Spanish Conquistadors, and the Catholic Church. Read more about the history of Dia de los Muertos. You'll see a lot of skeletons in Day of the Dead artwork. Why? It depicts the idea that after our bodies die, our spirits live on. When the flesh is gone, the...
It’s Create a Great Funeral Day!
Today, October 30, 2015, is the 16th annual Create a Great Funeral Day. Kudos to Stephanie West Allen for initiating this day on Chase's Calendar of Events back in 2000. It's a day to think about what you might want for your "good goodbye" and have a conversation with the people you love. I've interviewed Stephanie several times over the years about why she started Create a Great Funeral Day. Over time, her ideas have evolved. Here are past...
Synthetic Cadavers for Mortuary Science
People donate their bodies to medical schools for anatomy studies and other purposes, and in exchange, the family gets a free cremation along with the satisfaction of contributing to research. Mortuary schools also use cadavers for students to practice embalming and restorative arts. But that may be changing. At the NFDA convention and expo, SynDaver Labs displayed a synthetic human body designed for anatomy study. This eye-catching example was...
![[Video] Examining Embalming Fluids](https://i0.wp.com/agoodgoodbye.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/IMG_1693-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C250&ssl=1)
[Video] Examining Embalming Fluids
Colorful bottles of embalming fluids in a rainbow array are among the tools of the trade on display at every funeral director expo. In this video, Jeff Chancellor, Director of Education, Training & Research with Eckels and Company, explains some of the different conditions various embalming fluids are designed to address. Jeff Chancellor has provided embalming and restorative art training to more than 1,000 funeral homes, supply companies...
Nov. 1 Day of the Dead Talk and Reception
Dia de los Muertos Reception at the Tomé Art Gallery, Sunday, November 1, 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. Come to Los Lunas for a post-Halloween celebration with pottery, art, jewelry, books and more! Dress up in costume for contest prizes. Spooky tasty snacks will be provided. Gail Rubin will present a talk about Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, at the Tomé Gallery, 2930 Highway 47 in Los Lunas, NM. Copies of her book A Good Goodbye: Funeral...
News & Notes: NFDA and TEDxABQ Adventures!
You won't believe some of the new developments observed last week at the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) convention. Blog posts about see-through caskets, skin art preservation and fun photos are already on The Family Plot Blog - stay tuned for more tales to come! It was great to meet so many new friends and reconnect with those we already know and love. At last, the official videos from TEDxABQ are now online! And this Thursday...
Clear View Caskets Offer an Eyeful
One of the most-discussed expo introductions at the NFDA convention were the see-through acrylic caskets offered by Clear View Caskets.
Preserving Tattoos for Posterity
It's estimated that 80 million Americans have tattoos, and 40 million have more than one. Tattoos are so prevalent and have such personal meanings, people are actually seeking to save the tattooed skin of their loved ones. One of the buzz-generating exhibitors at the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) convention and expo was the National Association for the Preservation of Skin Art (NAPSA). The organization launched on September 14,...
Fun Photos from the NFDA Convention & Expo
The expo at the National Funeral Directors Association convention, the largest funeral expo in the world, is colorful, unpredictable and an amazing collection of all things funereal. Here are a few fun photos from the event - blog posts on specific items of interest to come! The convention started with an opening reception on Sunday evening at the Indiana Museum. Downtown Indianapolis was flooded with Colts fans attending the big game that...
NFDA Announces Arrangement Conference Training Program
According to a new study by the Funeral and Memorial Information Council (FAMIC), the percentage of adults age 40 and older who see value in a funeral has dropped 13% over the past five years - down from 95% in 2010 to 82% in 2015. And the percentage who felt funerals were instrumental to healthy healing after a loss went from 87% in 2010 to 72% in 2015 - a drop of 15%. While a majority of people still say funeral and memorial services are...
TEDxABQ Adventure Death Cafe
TEDxABQ Adventures are events with TEDx speakers related to the talks they presented at the Main Event on September 12, 2015. The TEDx Adventure with speaker Gail Rubin is a Death Cafe at a funeral home! The event will be held on Thursday, October 29, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. This is a great way to kick off Create a Great Funeral Day on October 30. Register here. Here's the TEDxABQ description of the event: "Talking about sex won't make you pregnant;...
Reporting News From NFDA!
Welcome to The Family Plot Blog coverage of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) annual convention and expo in Indianapolis, Indiana! Funeral directors from across the country and around the globe have converged here to learn and shop at the largest funeral expo in the world. Check out the 100-year-old hearse automobile on display in the lobby at the convention registration area. Indiana is a major center for casket manufacturing....
TEDxABQ Talk Video on End-of-Life Planning
At the TEDx Main Event in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist, gave a powerful talk to 1,500 people about end-of-life issues and the need to preplan before there's a death in the family. This video of her funny, informative and moving talk offers persuasive reasons to undertake preneed funeral planning. Gail Rubin spoke about why people avoid discussing advance medical directives, preparing wills or trusts, and doing...
November 14: ABQ Death Cafe
The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will take place on Saturday, November 14 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Gail Rubin's home. RSVP through the Meetup Group or post a note in the comment section. Click here to go to the Meetup page. The address will be provided to those who indicate they will attend. The objective of the Death Cafe is “To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” It’s all...