The Family Plot Blog
Compassion and Choices on A Good Goodbye Radio
The “death with dignity” movement is gaining steam across North America, as evidenced by the state of Vermont recently approving legislation to allow aid in dying. Aid in dying allows terminally ill, mentally competent adult patients to request -- and physicians to prescribe -- life-ending medication to bring about a peaceful death when a patient’s suffering becomes unbearable. Erin Marshall, New Mexico Campaign Manager for Compassion &...
Air Miles, Body Shipment and Dental Gold
Some recent letters to Dear Abby convey interesting advice about body shipment by air travel and dispels the notion of using dental gold a way to pay for a funeral. On Dental Gold: May 11, 2013 DEAR ABBY: I am 75, and when I pass on I would like the undertaker to remove my six gold caps from my teeth. Then my wife can sell them to pay for my funeral. I think this will work out well. What is your take on this? -- ED IN FLORIDA DEAR ED: As I...
Funeral Film Movie Night Debuts with Get Low
Seventy-five years ago this month, Felix “Bush” Brezeale made history as the first person to hold his funeral while he was still alive. Between eight to 12 thousand people turned out in rural Tennessee to witness the event, which took place on June 26, 1938. The true story, with some fictional dramatic twists, was told in the 2010 film Get Low, starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek. With comedy and drama, Get Low illustrates the...
Baby Boomers to Funeral Industry: Change or Die
As the Silver Tsunami of baby boomers starts crashing into end-of-life realities, these funeral consumers have their own unique demands – and funeral service providers need to pay attention or lose business. At the same time, boomers need to educate themselves about the myriad of choices they will face, not "if" but "when" the Grim Reaper comes to call. Even super-savvy shoppers let their brains go on vacation when they buy funeral services,...
Message in a Bottle
What do you think about sending cremated remains on an unsupervised trip around the ocean? This got passed along to me, and I don't know the author of the description. But, what a way to go! I never met Don "Cowboy" Cuda when he was alive, but I met him on a beach in Mexico after he died. My wife and I were combing the beach for shells down in Puerto Penasco when we noticed a bottle lying in a bunch of seaweed. I picked up the "trash" and...
Mevisto Gems from Cremated Remains
One of the exhibitors at the 2013 ICCFA convention and expo was Mevisto, a company based in Austria that specializes in creating gem stones from cremated remains and hair from humans or pets. Mevisto extracts various substances from the cremated remains or strands of hair to make colorful sapphires or rubies. They can make the gems a specific color by adding certain elements. Each stone is cut by hand, expertly polished and worked into jewelry,...
Financial Issues Before and After Death: A Good Goodbye TV Episode 9
Death and Taxes! Financial planning for your Golden Years can save a lot of pain, time and lost income. Yet, even with the best laid plans, a host of tasks await the executor of an estate. This week’s episode of A Good Goodbye TV focuses on the intricacies of financial planning, especially when it regards death and taxes. Steven P. Margulin, CPA, CFP® and Life Coach, is the special guest interviewed on this show. His website is...
Funeral Planning and Finances Discussed on A Good Goodbye Radio
Entering your Golden Years without any money is no joke. End-of-life planning is a difficult subject to talk about. Between facing mortality, either your parents or your own, to discussing the ever-confusing subject of Medicare and Medicaid, there’s nothing fun about facing death and the issues that come with it. But it’s a vital conversation to have. Jodi Clock, an end-of-life consultant and author of Navigating the Eldercare Journey:…Without...
World’s Fastest Motorcycle Hearse
For those in a hurry to get to their final destination, here's a video of a record-setting speed run by a motorcycle hearse. Paul Sinclair rode this Suzuki Hayabusa hearse west-east at 126.6mph and east-west at 124.8mph. For the official world record the average of 125.7mph at the one mile mark is used. 19th May 2013. Paul did go faster over the one and a quarter mile, but the official record is only to one mile. http://youtu.be/Jv8irsYb2I4...
Thanatopsis
In conversation with my dad about how he'd want to be treated at end-of-life, he said something about being wrapped in a drapery on a couch and lying down to pleasant dreams. I didn't know at the time that he was referring to the poem Thanatopsis, by William Cullen Bryant. The Greek root of the word can be traced to Thanatos, the personification of death and a minor figure in Greek mythology. He was the god of non-violent death. His touch was...
Funeral Cost Management Issues on A Good Goodbye TV
If you don't do funeral planning BEFORE there's a death in the family, sticker shock may set in when you start making funeral arrangements. This week's episode of A Good Goodbye TV focuses on the costs of funerals and memorial services and the different ways to pay, either in advance or at-need. Jeff Harbeson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Funeral Finance LLC, is the special guest interviewed on this show. Their...
Pet Loss and Disenfranchised Grief on A Good Goodbye Radio
Any dog or cat owner will tell you pets are members of the family. Yet when a fur child dies or disappears, grief over pet loss is often dismissed. What can pet parents do? Coleen Ellis, founder of Two Hearts Pet Loss Center and co-chair of the Pet Loss Professionals Alliance (PLPA), has been there. When she lost her beloved “Mico” in 2003, no one understood how she could be so upset over losing "just a dog." She was devastated and struggled...
What Were the Vital Topics of Discussion at ABQ Death Cafe?
The third Albuquerque Death Cafe on May 23 was a big success! About 14 participants were expected and 20 showed up. Asked if the group wanted to split into two smaller groups of 10 for discussion, the consensus was to keep everyone in on the same conversation. As one participant described it, our main concerns at this Death Cafe were medical/healthcare issues, legal/estate topics, and spiritual elements, including passing on our values, and...
Memorial Day History Video from Arlington Memorial Gardens
As we slide into the long Memorial Day weekend, let's not forget why the holiday was established. This short video comes from the lovely and historic Arlington Memorial Gardens in Cincinnati, OH. This is different from the more famous Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Thanks to Dan Applegate for sharing this timely history lesson that goes back to aftermath of the Civil War (a.k.a. The War Between the States, depending on which side of...
Audition for TV Show on Fabulous Women of the Funeral Industry
There is a reality TV show looking to cast Fabulous Women of the Funeral Industry - and who else is more fabulous than yours truly, The Doyenne of Death? Could A Good Goodbye be on national television? The producers put out a call for women to be considered, so why not shoot for the moon? I may land among the stars. While I'm not a funeral director, consider my extensive credentials: Author of the award-winning book, A Good Goodbye: Funeral...
Estate Planning Issues on A Good Goodbye TV
Before you get to funeral planning, it's vital to do estate planning. This week's episode of A Good Goodbye TV focuses on the legal and financial issues that every adult needs to address BEFORE there's a death in the family. Jim Plitz with Morris, Hall & Kinghorn, an estate planning law firm with offices in Arizona and New Mexico, is the special guest interviewed on this show. He provides great information on topics such as: Who needs to do...
Donating Your Body to Science Discussed on A Good Goodbye Radio
Donating your body to science after your death can be an easy, altruistic and frugal way to go – but you have to make arrangements! A Good Goodbye Radio examines body donation for medical research this Wednesday, May 22 at 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT. The guest is Valere Beck with MedCure.org, a national body donation program that supports medical science. Download the podcast! MedCure works with local licensed funeral directors to arrange for...
LoveUrns at ICCFA 2013
You can certainly find a lot of options for cremated remains at the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association's annual convention and expo. The cremation urns offerings there range from fine ceramics and hand-turned wood to metal, Himalayan salt, biodegradable paper and much more. In this video, Naseem Khan with LoveUrns shows and tells about the company's stunning metal urns for holding the cremated remains of people and pets....
Bronze Statuary from The Garden Gallery
At the 2013 ICCFA convention and expo, you could see everything for a cemetery: from granite markers to bronze statues; niche walls for cremated remains and vaults for below ground burials; mausoleum architecture and cemetery land use planning. In this video from the ICCFA expo, Donna Angel with The Garden Gallery shows a lovely collection of bronze statuary for cemeteries that can be uses for cremation scattering areas and cremated remains...
Friday Funeral Film: The Great Gatsby
The life and death of F. Scott Fitzgerald draws a strong parallel to that of Jay Gatsby, the namesake of the book’s title.
Do Your Own Obit Now – Vennie White Did!
While most folks avoid the idea of writing their own obituaries, Vennie White has already penned hers and shared it with family and friends - to mixed reactions. I met her over the weekend at the Southwest Book Fiesta. She very enthusiastically told me about her own obituary project. Here's what she wrote to me about it: Though I have six siblings and I'm next to the youngest, I became the person to plan my mother's service and write my dad's...