The Family Plot Blog
Funeral Planning Tips for Savvy Seniors
Jim Miller, who writes the Savvy Senior column, recently wrote about funeral planning tips, especially for those seniors with little money. His advice: compare providers, take advantage of the "Funeral Rule," shop for goods online, consider direct cremation or burial, and figure out how you're going to pay for your funeral. He provided a good pro-and-con examination of pre-payment and what to look for before handing over your money. He also...
Finding and Honoring Abandoned Veteran Remains
Thousands of unclaimed cremated remains of veterans have been languishing on dusty shelves at funeral homes for years, even decades. This Veterans Day, think about honoring the fallen, especially who have no one left to remember them. Last week, the unclaimed cremated remains of ten U.S. veterans, most who died in the 1970s and 1980s, were buried with military honors in the Santa Fe National Cemetery. According to the Missing in America Project...
Eco-Friendly Disposal and Green Burial
There's a great article on new trends in environmentally friendly disposal methods that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle online recently. It's titled "The greening of death - eco-friendly burials boom" by Eric Spitznagel with Bloomberg Businessweek. Jeff Edwards, owner of Edwards Funeral Service in Columbus, Ohio, wants to make one thing clear: He isn't flushing your grandmother down the toilet. That, he says, is the biggest...
Cremation Rates Accelerate
The rate of cremations in North America is expected to top 40% this year according to figures just released by the Cremation Association of North America (CANA). At its joint convention with the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), CANA projected that 40.62 percent of all deaths in the United States in 2010 would result in cremation. Final 2009 statistics put the actual number of cremations in 2009 at 930,429, as the cremation rate...
Funeral Planning Tips from Angie’s List Founder
It's good to see the word getting out to consumers that pre-need shopping around is better than waiting for someone to die before doing funeral planning. Angie's List, the popular consumer service ranking site, recently put out some great tips for consumers. I'm pleased to share their information as today's guest post. Planning a funeral is an emotionally difficult process, but pre-planning helps you avoid making rushed decisions and allows you...
Andy Rooney RIP
There are lots of folks eulogizing Andy Rooney yesterday and today. He died at the age of 92 on Friday, only one month after his last commentary on "60 Minutes" before he retired. The funeral services will be private. We can only hope there will be a public memorial service later for the legions of people who admired the man. Almost a year ago, on the November 28, 2010 program, Rooney did a commentary about living to be 100 years old. He said...
Hospice and Montana Winters
November is Hospice and Palliative Care Month. The conversation about choosing hospice care is as hard to start as the funeral planning conversation. I'm pleased to present this guest blog post by Thomas Patrick Donovan. He is the community liaison for Rocky Mountain Hospice in Bozeman, Montana and a faculty fellow in the MSU freshman honors program. Does choosing hospice mean giving up? There is a story going around that when a person chooses...
Obituary for Tom Keith
For you fans of 'Prairie Home Companion' and sound effects, this excellent news obituary appeared in the Washington Post on November 1. Tom Keith, sound-effects man on ‘Prairie Home Companion,’ dies (Courtesy of A Prairie Home Companion/COURTESY OF A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION) - Tom Keith was a virtuoso sound-effects man on Garrison Keillor's radio program "A Prairie Home Companion.” By Emily Langer Tom Keith, 64, the virtuoso sound-effects man...
Eulogy for Steve Jobs by His Sister
Here's a beautiful eulogy with lessons on living and dying. Mona Simpson is a novelist and a professor of English at the University of California, Los Angeles. She delivered this eulogy for her brother, Steve Jobs, on Oct. 16 at his memorial service at the Memorial Church of Stanford University. It appeared in the New York Times as an Op-Ed on Sunday, October 30. I grew up as an only child, with a single mother. Because we were poor and because...
Eyewitness to a Hindu Funeral
Ellen Leitzer had the opportunity to witness a Hindu funeral in Nepal and wrote the following incredibly detailed description. I am honored that she agreed to share her insights in today's guest post. Dear Friends, Rita died early yesterday morning from pneumonia and sepsis at Tribhuvan University’s Teaching Hospital, one of Kathmandu’s public hospitals. Her medical care and the hospital’s sanitary conditions were extraordinarily sub-standard...
Ashes Amnesty Last Call Today!
Today is the last day to register to give any cremated remains you may have hanging around your house a free final resting place, courtesy of the Catholic Cemetery Association. Back on September 30, the association announced it is offering a free program that allows families to properly bury the cremated remains of loved ones now being kept at home. The amnesty for ashes program will provide free placement in a crypt at either Mount Calvary...
In Conclusion: Create a Great Funeral Day
http://youtu.be/57VT6KBoGWg I have walked through the valley of the shadow of death. After 30 funerals in 30 days, what a long, strange trip it’s been. No, my circle of family and friends has not been decimated. As The Doyenne of Death, I undertook the 30 Funerals in 30 Days Challenge for three reasons: To illustrate the many creative ways people celebrate the lives of those they love. To help reduce a fear of talking about death – something...
Day 30: Erika Langholf
Erika Langholf would have enjoyed the celebration of life that her children, family and friends put together. A crowd filled the pews in the funeral home chapel as rock music from the 1970s played over the sound system, such as "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart and "You're My Best Friend" by Queen. A beautiful Himalayan rock salt urn held Erika's cremated remains, displayed on a stand decorated with the chile ristras she loved to make. Cese McGowan...
Day 29: Waldine Patton
The life celebration for Waldine Patton took place at Ballut Abyad Shrine Center. She was the First Lady of the Shrine in 2000, when her husband Roy was the Potentate. Along the walls of the Shrine Center, pictures of Potentates for Ballut Abyad stretched back to 1887. After the family came in and was seated, the song "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong played, followed by a moment of silence.William Aber officiated, starting with a...
Day 28: Emmanuel Ceniceros
http://youtu.be/kiu1_n0fFRk The funeral home chapel overflowed with people attending the Rosary service for Emmanuel Ceniceros. He died at the age of 25 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident on the freeway. Three hours of visitation preceded the evening Rosary. The funeral service and burial is scheduled take place the next day. Emmanuel was born in Juarez, Mexico. Except for the funeral director's welcome and request to turn off...
Day 27: Access Granted, Coverage Denied
A rare morning rainbow graced the western sky on the day of (name omitted)'s funeral. At the event, I asked the family for permission to witness and write about the funeral, and they agreed, pending review of the story. I wrote a lovely post that the family got to read in advance, something that no one had yet asked for. Just got the note this morning saying no. My correspondent wrote: "This is very nice, but what is your purpose for writing...
Day 26: Jim Hubbard
At the Graveside Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of Jim Hubbard, the warmth for his well-lived life was as prevalent as the late October sunshine. The cemetery staff wheeled a portable shade structure next to his grave to give the 100 or so in attendance some shade before the service got underway. Pastor Don Wilson, recently retired from Heights Cumberland Presbyterian Church, where Jim was a member for a number of years, opened the...
Day 25: Behind the Scenes for Two Taharas
http://youtu.be/o2A3kUA784Q For today's 30 Funerals in 30 Days post, we go behind the scenes at the funeral home for two tahara rituals. The tahara is the Jewish ritual of washing and dressing the body before burial. In the Jewish tradition, the body of the deceased is treated with care and respect, extending dignity to the earthly vessel that the human spirit has left behind. This task is undertaken by the local Chevra Kadisha, a volunteer...
Day 24: Sam Baxter Balloon Send-Off
On a perfect morning for ballooning, Samuel “Sam” Houston Baxter was honored at a hot air balloon mini-fiesta.
Day 23: Geraldine (Gerri) Stivers
http://youtu.be/cen_gq5WrrA At St. Stephen's United Methodist Church, the memorial service for Geraldine "Gerri" Stivers provided a lovely remembrance and celebration of her life. The pastor, Dr. Russell Lee, offered a cordial welcome to everyone attending and thanked them for their presence and prayers. He also thanked the people providing the music, singing, and audiovisual assistance, and invited everyone to stay and visit at the reception...
Day 22: Eugenia Edna Rendace
A beautiful funeral Mass for Eugenia Edna Rendace was held in the historic Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church. Upon entering the church, attendees were given a prayer card with her picture on one side and the poem, The Broken Chain, on the other. Her blue-gray steel casket was already positioned at the front of the church. A pianist played soothing music as we waited for the service to start. The church bell chimed the hour and all rose...