The Family Plot Blog
A Few Funeral Jokes
A few jokes to help us laugh in the face of death... Two entrepreneurs at a networking event tried to make small talk. "Hey, do you believe in survival of the fittest?" one asked, "I don't believe in the survival of anybody," the other replied. "I'm an undertaker." ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Jim grabbed his suitcase off the airport luggage carousel and headed outside to hail a taxi. A taxi promptly picked him up and they were on their way. Twenty...
News and Notes: On Ethical Wills and Jewish Traditions
Ethical wills are a different kind of will - more of a testament of your values and the lessons you've learned in this lifetime. Over the weekend, I ran a two-part guest blog post about ethical wills by Gary Newman, an actively retired life underwriter and practitioner of related family and small business financial security disciplines. He provides great guidance on how to tackle writing your own ethical will. Writing an ethical will is one...
Ethical Wills – Part Two
Here is part two of the guest blog post by Gary Newman on ethical wills. OUR GREATER “WEALTH” – WORTH BEQUEATHING! After you think you’ve done all of your thinking and deciding, allow it to “marinate” some more, then think and decide again. Then lay it all out, and feel free to fuel it with uninhibited feelings. Then, edit, and improve it over and over again, “marinating” and tweaking it until it’s polished and really feels like the just-right...
Ethical Wills – Part One
Today we have a guest blog post by Gary Newman on ethical wills, in two parts. OUR GREATER “WEALTH” – WORTH BEQUEATHING! We decree our awesome last wills and testaments and all the other commanding documents bequeathing our worldly wealth. But how about creating our other pronouncement, the welcome but neglected spiritual one that indeed can preserve and pass on even far greater “wealth”? Our own personal “legacy letters,” known as ethical...
Leading Funeral Home CEO Discusses New Trends in Funerals
In a business notoriously slow to change, funeral and burial trends in the U.S. have changed markedly over the past ten years. Cremation rates have shot up, prompting funeral homes to add the word “cremation” to their names. The rise of social media and “life celebrations” have funeral homes scrambling to figure out how to remain relevant. How does a forward-thinking funeral provider respond to change? Tom Antram has been with the FRENCH Family...
News and Notes: Comparing Funeral Traditions
Thanks to everyone who responded to last week's question about reading Norwegian! The Frozen Dead Guy Days story in the Norwegian newspaper Budstikka came out over the weekend. The article by Sidsel Havaal is titled: Bredo døde for 25 år siden. Nå ligger han på tørris og har egen festival (Translation) Bredo died 25 years ago. Now he lies on dry ice and has his own festival. I was fascinated to learn more about the family and Grandpa Bredo's...
Budstikka Story on Frozen Dead Guy Days
The story about the Frozen Dead Guy Days festival and the history of Bredo Morstoel has appeared in the Norway publication, Budstikka. The article by Sidsel Havaal is titled: Bredo døde for 25 år siden. Nå ligger han på tørris og har egen festival Translation: Bredo died 25 years ago. Now he lies on dry ice and has his own festival En død bestefar fra Gjettum trekker tusenvis til festivalen Frozen Dead Guy Days i fjellbyen Colorado i USA....
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...