The Family Plot Blog
Everyone Wants to Go to Heaven, But…
Here's a video of Gail Rubin's winning speech at Albuquerque Challenge Toastmasters International club contest. She went on to compete at the area level, and did not win. But, it provides some food for thought! The text of the speech follows. http://youtu.be/LFaNYQdma0U There’s a Hollywood legend about Edmund Gwenn, a big star in the early days of film. You may remember him as Santa Claus in the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street. At the age of...
On Mortality Measured by Office Supplies
There's a great end-of-life opinion piece in today's New York Times by James Collins titled "Let Me Count the Days." He realizes his mortality based on a box of staples (actually two boxes of staples) he found in his desk. At his current rate of staple use, he would have to live to 323 years old to use up one box. Here are a few of his amusing musings on the topic: That’s when I realized that I was going to die: I owned more staples than I...
The Humorous, Self-Written Obituary of Walter George Bruhl Jr.
Walter George Bruhl Jr. recently died in Florida at age 80. He wrote his own 679-word obituary, full of humor and cultural references that younger folks may not get. The obit was originally posted online after Bruhl's family discovered it (I wonder where he put it to be discovered). For those who are fans of Monty Python humor, you will recognize the cadence of the opening paragraph to be from the Dead Parrot skit in the Monty Python's Flying...
How Do British Funerals Compare to American Funerals?
Cremation, life celebrations, church services, natural burial, big corporations in the funeral business: How does the British way of death compare to the American way of death? Charles Cowling, co-director and author of the Good Funeral Guide, joins host Gail Rubin on A Good Goodbye Radio on Wednesday, March 19 at 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT on TogiNet Talk Radio to compare the similarities and differences of US and UK funerals. The Good Funeral...
News & Notes: Can You Read Norwegian?
Got back to Albuquerque last night after a successful trip to Colorado for Frozen Dead Guy Days (FDGD) and the community outreach talk "Laughing in the Face of Death" held at Carroll-Lewellen Funeral and Cremation Services in Longmont. The chapel at the funeral home was packed with about 65-75 people, everyone enjoyed the film clips and they learned a lot! Approximately 690 people watched the documentary "Grandpa's in the TUFF SHED" on Saturday...
Grandpa’s in the TUFF SHED Saturday Showings
It was a beautiful day yesterday in Nederland at the Frozen Dead Guy Days festival. By our count, at least 364 people came to the Black Forest Restaurant bar yesterday to watch the documentary "Grandpa's in the TUFF SHED." It tells the whole weird true story of how Bredo Morstoel became the Frozen Dead Guy in Nederland, Colorado. We also had four couples play The Newly-Dead Game. It was close, but the couple that won had 15 more points than the...
Talk at Carroll-Lewellen Funeral Home
We had an awesome turn-out at the Carroll-Lewellen Funeral Home in Longmont, Colorado last night! The pews in the chapel were filled as I presented "Laughing in the Face of Death: Funny Films for Funeral Planning." There was lots of laughter and good learning about funeral planning issues. There was also a camera crew from Longmont's Channel 8, recording the event for a documentary. Today, it's on to Nederland for Frozen Dead Guy Days! You may...
We Don’t Die Interview with Sandra Champlain
Would funeral planning be more acceptable if we knew our essence survives physical death? A fear of dying and a massive dose of skepticism led Sandra Champlain on a 15-year journey of discovery for proof of life after death. Through the disciplines of science and medicine, she uncovered the clear, undeniable truth that we don’t die. Sandra’s journey is detailed in her book We Don’t Die: A Skeptic’s Discovery of Life After Death. She joins host...
Video: Speaking at the ICCFA 2014 Convention
The International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) is holding their annual convention and expo in Las Vegas, Nevada April 8-11, 2014. The theme is All Stars, and All Star is one of my favorite theme songs. I'm so pleased to be one of the All Stars presenting at the convention! I'm presenting a breakout session on Jewish Funeral Traditions, illustrated with funny film clips. Here's a little video about some of the great...
News & Notes: Time for Frozen Dead Guy Days!
Happy Mardi Gras! The excitement is building as we count down the days to the Frozen Dead Guy Days festival March 7 through 9. This "Mardi Gras in the Mountains" in Nederland, Colorado is always a fun and wacky celebration of all things dead and frozen. For the fourth year in a row, I'll be there to host The Newly-Dead Game® and show the documentary "Grandpa's in the TUFF SHED." Everyone can register to win fun prizes, including Frozen Dead Guy...
Denver Post Story on Thursday’s Funeral Planning Talk
There's a story in today's Denver Post by Emilie Rusch titled "Doyenne of Death encourages laughter in face of funeral planning." Here's the start of the story: When it comes to the top expenses a household will face, you've got the cost of buying a home, college tuition, cars, weddings — and funerals — according to an expert in death and bereavement. Despite its financial implications, the inevitable end is a topic not many families are eager...
CNM Exit Strategies Talk
It was standing room only in room H-129 at Central New Mexico Community College on Monday. Psychology teacher Jim Johnson had invited me to present one of my funny film clip talks to his students in the Death & Dying class. Exit Strategies: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die covered recent developments regarding physician aid in dying, why many people avoid using the "D" word, patient autonomy when facing cancer, the role of...
What Makes an Obituary Go Viral and a Eulogy Memorable?
Ivan H. Charbonneau and Harry Stamps had obituaries that made them famous. Their newspaper death notices described “ordinary” people in extraordinary ways. Since obituaries are frequently read at funerals, why not make an obituary double as a great eulogy that might also go viral on the Internet? If you don’t regularly speak in public, how do you make the eulogy memorable? What can ordinary people do to honor the memory of those they love?...
News & Notes: Talks, Toastmasters and Traditions
The Toastmasters International speech competition can take a contestant all the way to the organization's worldwide convention with thousands in attendance. The next convention will be in Kuala Lumpur this summer. On Saturday, I took the first step toward that goal by winning at Albuquerque Challenge, my home club. My speech, "Laughing in the Face of Death," now moves on to the area competition, to be held the afternoon of March 15. But guess...
Laughing in the Face of Death at CO Funeral Home
Laughing in the Face of Death: Longmont, Colorado Funeral Home Hosts Upbeat Funeral Planning Talk in Advance of Frozen Dead Guy Days “Talking about sex won’t make you pregnant, and talking about funerals won’t make you dead – and your family will benefit from the conversation.” – Gail Rubin The Carroll-Lewellen Funeral Home in Longmont, Colorado is hosting Laughing in the Face of Death, an upbeat talk that illustrates funeral planning issues...
Be a Real Hero – Empower Your Beloved! Part Two
Continuing from yesterday with Gary Newman's guest blog post on financial affairs for couples... Be a Real Hero - Empower Your Beloved! So, how to bring Beloved up to self-reliance level, even if Beloved doesn’t want to? Here’s your chance to be an even bigger hero or heroine than you already are. Unless Beloved already suffers incapacity and truly can’t handle it, it’s a matter of motivation, isn’t it? The barriers are want-to vs not-want-to,...
Be a Real Hero – Empower Your Beloved! Part One
I love the information in this guest post by Gary Newman, who provides great insights on how to be financially prepared before there's a death in the family. Be a Real Hero - Empower Your Beloved! Here’s a true story (names changed) from my experience. If it doesn’t apply to you, or I can applaud you for wisely already having fixed the problem that it exposes, please stay with me, anyway. That’s because you could be a huge help to someone who...
Happily Even After Widowhood
The questions and issues surrounding the death of a spouse are numerous and complex – immediately following the funeral as well as months or years later. “Who am I?” and “What do I do now?” are the two most pressing questions right after an abrupt change from couple to single person. Carole Brody Fleet faced those questions when she became a widow at age 40. She found no resources that spoke directly to her needs as a young widow. In 2006, she...
News & Notes: Funeral Email Scam, Tips and Talks
There was an article about a scam email that appears to come from a funeral home in Sunday's Albuquerque Journal. The article, "Latest email scam preys on curiosity over purported death," details a recent rash of emails that suggest a person may miss a funeral of a friend if they don't click a link for more details. However, clicking that link can infect your computer with malware. Assistant business editor Nick Pappas interviewed me, Tom...
Estate Planning Lessons from the Frozen Dead Guy
Check out today's blog post on the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys website! My guest blog post is all about what we can learn from the strange but true story of how Bredo Morstoel became the frozen dead guy at the center of the Frozen Dead Guy Days festival. To find out the story highlights and the lessons we can learn from Grandpa's example, read the story: Estate Planning Lessons from the Frozen Dead Guy Then mark your calendar...
Video: Jewish Funeral Traditions and Superstitions
Jewish traditions related to death, funerals and mourning are rarely taught in Hebrew School. In this show-and-tell class, items used for Jewish funerals were examined. The historical, practical and ritual reasons for each element before, during and after a funeral were discussed. Items included burial shrouds (tachrichim), the keriah tradition of tearing a ribbon or clothing, a shivah candle that marks the seven-day period of mourning, a water...