The Family Plot Blog
Innovations for Cemeteries
A few of the cemetery innovations at the 2012 ICCFA expo include a way to keep silk flowers in vases and new colorful memorial markers. I also spoke to an architect who designs new mausoleums to fit in with historic cemeteries. Check out these videos: David and Ruby Broel supply silk flowers to 600 cemeteries around the U.S. and to the Kroger Corporation. The big problem in cemeteries is people think the floral tributes they leave get stolen....
Memorial Art Glass
Here are two glass artists represented at the 2012 ICCFA expo. The neat thing about the art you'll see in these videos is that cremated remains are embedded in the glass. Lennart Caspersen, representing Beverly's Tropical Glass Design Studio in Naples, Florida, shows off some very creative art glass. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgNm2CxkJ2A Kent Kahlen with Kahlen Studio Art Glass in Orange, California talks about his glass art with cremated...
Memorial Sculptures at ICCFA
A wide range of memorial markers dotted the ICCFA expo, some larger than life, others small enough to fit on top of an urn. I spoke to two sculptors displaying their wares. Val Grinshpun creates sculptures for both people and pet urns. His company Carvax, Inc. creates Timberland urns that feature bronze sculptures on top and photos on the front that can be changed depending on the interests of the deceased. http://youtu.be/nCZBvQci3k0 Then...
Cool Funeral Vehicles at ICCFA
There were some pretty cool funeral vehicles on display at the ICCFA expo this week, from earth movers to hearses and multiple casket haulers. Check out the hearse and limo funeral car from Rosewood Classic Coach. Owner Richard Neal gave a quick tour around the two vehicles on display. These are amazingly stylish vehicles that will make anyone who uses them for a funeral go "WOW." They are modeled after 1932 era vehicles, including the...
Protecting Crypts
Protecting crypts and mausoleums from odors, insects and dirt isn't something you usually think of at a conventional expo. Yet there were several vendors at ICCFA (International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association) offering such helpful products. I had no idea that crypt fly infestations in mausoleums is a chronic problem. This ICCFA expo really gave me some eye-opening insights. Kryprotek also makes this great system that can allow a...
Tribute Blankets as a Funeral Gift
Tribute blankets were another great product I saw at the ICCFA convention and expo. The Funeral Home Gifts company can take a photo of the person who died and overnight, create a woven blanket that incorporates the image of the person. The blanket is delivered to the funeral home in time for the memorial service. Here's one of the sample blankets on display, of singer Whitney Houston. Wow, can you believe that's a woven image? In the video...
Alkaline Hydrolysis at ICCFA
Alkaline hydrolysis is an eco-friendly process that uses less energy and creates less CO2 than flame-based cremation.
Funerals Can Be Messy Family Affairs
Perhaps you think your family stresses you out at life cycle events? Check out the start of this Washington Post Magazine story by Neely Tucker regarding the funeral of Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe in 1953 (and what came afterwards). PRAGUE, Okla. — Funerals, like weddings, can be messy family affairs. Not everything goes according to plan. Emotions run high. Even pleasant people can be tense. Few people who met Patsy Thorpe — third and most...
In Australia, Costs Factor into Choices There, Too
The decision between burial and cremation is a personal one but it carries many financial implications, with price tags that can differ by thousands of dollars. In this article by Nhada Larkin from Adelaide Now, a news organization in Australia, the same questions are asked with the same considerations here in the U.S. No matter where you are in the world, have a conversation before there's a death to avoid stress at a time of grief, save money...
Safety Deposit Box Tips
You may not think you have enough assets to do estate planning. Think about this: lots of folks have safety deposit boxes to hold jewelry, cash, valuable papers and other items. Unless you have arranged properly, your heirs may not be able to access these treasure troves after your death. Here are some tips from Steve Hartnett, J.D., LL.M., Associate Director of Education for the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc. This was...
Tweeting at Funerals: Wrong, Wrong, Wrong
For those who need a reminder about funeral etiquette, using electronic devices during a memorial service is dead wrong. This guest blog post shows why. 10 Reasons Tweeting During a Funeral is Wrong The recent death of beloved pop icon Whitney Houston set the Twitter-verse on fire, with a surprising number of celebrity mourners tweeting live from her funeral. This controversial move was met with mixed reactions from fans and the media, with the...
Funeral Planning Talk – Don’t Plan to Die?
The Fair Heights Neighborhood Association had me address their annual meeting this past Saturday. Some of the topics covered: How Grandpa Bredo Morstoel became the centerpiece of Frozen Dead Guy Days, three really good reasons to do advance funeral planning, no matter what your age, cremation, and green burial. We had a lively Q&A and finished with Benjamin Franklin's words of wisdom regarding body and spirit. BTW, this week we debut a new...
Obit for Firesign Theatre Founding Member Peter Bergman
How many of you were fans of Firesign Theatre? When I was a teenager in the 1970s, my older brother and I would laugh uproariously at the absurdity of their records: “Waiting for the Electrician, or Someone Like Him,” (1968) “How Can You Be Two Places at Once When You’re Not Anywhere at All?” (1969) “Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers,” (1970) and “I Think We’re All Bozos on This Bus” (1971). Peter Bergman, a founding member of the...
Doctors Die Differently
A number of columns and articles on how doctors approach end-of-life care for themselves have appeared recently. Patients, take note: doctors choose quality of life over quantity of time almost every time. Do you have advance medical directives in place? A column by Ken Murray that appeared in The Wall Street Journal and was excerpted in The Week's March 9 issue said: Most doctors die differently than their patients. When our time comes, those...
Final Frozen Dead Guy Day Thoughts
What great experiences we had at Frozen Dead Guy Days this year! In between showings of the documentary "Grandpa's in the Tuff Shed," I introduced myself and invited people to enter a drawing for all sorts of fun skull stuff. Little did I know I had a fan of this blog in the audience! Stephanie Arnett, an aspiring young funeral director in Independence, Missouri came up to say "hi" to me while I was in the Garden Room of the Black Forest...
Newly-Dead Game Sunday Edition
Three couples played The Newly-Dead Game on Sunday at Frozen Dead Guy Days 2012. Here's the video. It was tied early on and neck and neck up to the end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuxwYM8Qn_4 Thanks to all the couples who played the game!
First Newly-Dead Game at FDGD 2012
This is video of Saturday's 1:00 p.m. version of The Newly-Dead Game at Frozen Dead Guy Days 2012. I admit, I goofed on some of the emceeing in this go-round. My banter during the 5:00 game was much better. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP36uBmmcpU Many thanks to the couples who played and to the good folks at the Black Forest Restaurant for hosting us with the game and the funny films for funeral planning!
The Newly-Dead Game 5:00 p.m.
The wind blew wickedly through Nederland today, playing havoc with the outdoor Frozen Dead Guy Day events. The parade of hearses took place, but the polar plunge and the coffin races have been postponed to tomorrow. The wind tore through the two big tents where the music was taking place. Thank goodness we were inside the Black Forest Restaurant showing the Grandpa's in the Tuff Shed documentary and playing two rounds of The Newly-Dead Game!...
Greetings from Nederland!
http://youtu.be/4YI6S6vLmeQ Nederland, Colorado is getting ready for the crowds to descend this weekend to celebrate Frozen Dead Guy Days. Driving into town, this ice sculpture created by Cool Hand Ice Carving greets visitors. The finishing touches were just being applied when I came by. The temperature was 20 degrees in town. Bill and Kay Lorenz (pictured below) are the proprietors of the Black Forest Restaurant, where I'm showing the...
Enter the Frozen Dead Guy Days Drawing!
Heading out to the Frozen Dead Guy Days festival in Nederland, Colorado this weekend. We'll have fun with The Newly-Dead Game, funny films for funeral planning, and the documentary, Grandpa's in the Tuff Shed, which tells the story of how this all came to be. Register to win this cool skull hat, a pair of skull shot glasses, a copy of A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die, and the DVD Making Sense of Final...
CBS Weekend Roundup Interview
Check out this weekend's CBS Radio program, Weekend Roundup. You can hear Dan Raviv's interview with Gail Rubin, author of A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die, about three-quarters of the way into the podcast. It's right after the interview with John Glenn about the 50th anniversary of his pioneering orbit of the earth. Topics covered include the high cost of dying, benefits to planning ahead, religions and...