The Family Plot Blog
Day 14: Josef (Joe) Baecker
Josef "Joe" Baecker and his wife Maria came to the American Southwest from Frankfurt Germany in 1992 to live their German American Dream. At his Celebration of Life service, a parade of family and friends stood up to speak about Joe as a military hero, a father, a fisherman, and a friend to many. His daughter Regina suggested attendees take a good look at the medal on the table that held items important in Joe's life. This red cross was the...
Day 13: JoAnn Marie Titus
http://youtu.be/8Gx2-iM0h_4 JoAnn Marie Titus was a resident of Jemez Springs, NM, a small town about an hour's drive north and west of Albuquerque. The area's natural hot springs are a blessing to those who seek out the healing waters. JoAnn was a member of the Jemez Mountain Baptist Church in La Cueva. She died at the age of 51 after a lengthy illness. At her funeral, Pastor Eric Larson recited numerous Gospel passages, including Revelation...
Day 12: Stevan Jay Schoen
The memorial service for Stevan Jay Schoen at B'nai Israel synagogue was not a typical Jewish funeral. It was fitting for Stevan, who was an exceptional man. A traditional Jewish funeral is held within 24 hours of the death, followed by a seven-day period of mourning at home by the immediate family. After Stevan died of a heart attack at his Placitas home on September 9, his body was flown to New Jersey for burial in a family plot. The High...
Day 11: Matthus Hoelzel
The memorial service for Matthus Hoelzel took place outdoors in the Japanese Garden at the Albuquerque Bio-Park on a brilliant October afternoon.
Day 10: Robert Lee Carmignani
Bob Carmignani’s life was celebrated at home with good food and good friends, just as the family celebrated every holiday. His elder daughter Christen called it “My Big Fat Italian Funeral.”
Day 9: Frank D. Eaton
Visitations are a traditional element of funeral ritual for some families. It's a time for the family to receive the support of their community in a relaxed setting. This gathering prior to the funeral service is often held at a funeral home. Visitations allow family, friends and colleagues to share stories, to view the body, and to prepare for the more formal funeral to come. The beautiful and impressive obituary for Dr. Frank Eaton drew me to...
Day 8: Patrick James McGrath
On an overcast day, an American flag draped the lower half of the open casket of Patrick James "Mac" McGrath in the chapel of the funeral home. His 82 year old father, his daughter, her husband and their son sat in the front row on the left, his brother and others sat to the right. Deacon Manuel Montoya officiated with the Catholic funeral liturgy outside Mass. He wore a white robe with a multicolored stole, a long, narrow strip of cloth which...
RIP Steve Jobs
We lost an innovative giant who is being memorialized all across the world: Steve Jobs. His graduation address at Stanford University on living and dying, and doing what you love - words to live by.
Day 7: Sharon Erickson
Sharon Abra Fullilove, known on-air on Albuquerque’s KOB-TV Eyewitness News morning show as Sharon Erickson, died too young at the age of 30 after complications from heart surgery.
Day 6: Elvira Contreras Lopez
http://youtu.be/yThOUvOPSZ4 Elvira Contreras Lopez's graveside service was the morning after an evening visitation and funeral service held at Harvest Fellowship Church. Reverend Jose Leyva officiated at the morning service, saying "Thank you for supporting the family. It's times like this our faith gets tested, and with God's help, our faith is purified." He said, "Let us pray. Thank you God for the comfort of The Holy Spirit in this time of...
Day 5: Pet Funerals
http://youtu.be/v_W_d8Ldbfw The historic Aspin (sic) Hill Memorial Park in Silver Spring, Maryland, north of Washington, D.C., was started in the 1920s, when the area was predominantly woods and farmland. While suburbia has grown up around the cemetery, it still stands as a silent testimony to the love people hold for their pets. More than 15 statues of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals, are scattered throughout the tall grass. October 4...
Day 4: Gene R. Spence
The chapel at the funeral home was filled to capacity to honor the life of Gene R. Spence. He was celebrated and remembered as a man who loved life, family, friends, music and model trains. His photo and a picture of a railroad locomotive were projected on the screen at the front of the room with the inscription In Loving Memory: February 23, 1947 - September 28, 2011. Flowers surrounded a table display of significant items: a plaque with the...
Day 3: Marilyn Hardy Hazlewood
On a sunny fall afternoon, a group of 20 family and friends gathered at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery for a graveside service for Marilyn Hardy Hazelwood. Her niece Bonnie said of Marilyn, "After all these years, she was still the brightest color in the box." The colorful flowers surrounding the Southwest-themed urn holding her cremated remains echoed that sentiment. Her nephew Rick Quant started the casual service saying Marilyn was his favorite...
Day 2: Howard Strunk
The brief obituary was intriguing – particularly the part about the memorial luncheon at a bowling alley.
Day 1: Remembering September 11
http://youtu.be/zbwB8PHFFB4 People throughout the United States stopped to remember our losses on September 11, 2011, the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks. This national day of remembrance seemed an appropriate way to start this second 30 Funerals in 30 Days Challenge. Daniels Family Funeral Services created a Twin Towers memorial at their Vista Verde Memorial Park in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. They held a 10-year commemoration there "To...
A Good Goodbye a NM Book Awards Finalist
Exciting news! A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die is a finalist in five categories of the 2011 New Mexico Book Awards. A Good Goodbye is the only finalist in the Family/Parenting category (does that make it an automatic first place?). In addition, it is a finalist in the Nonfiction, Reference, Religious, and Self-Help categories. The finalists were announced on September 23, and the winners will be announced at the...
Does Happiness Equal Longetivity?
Today we salute Helen “Happy” Reichert, who died at the age of 109 in her New York City apartment. Throughout her life, Reichert vigorously promoted a rigid recipe for success: chocolate truffles, hamburgers, Budweiser beer, cigarettes and New York nightlife. Strictly forbidden were vegetables, exercising, getting up early and complaining. We should all live as long and as well as this woman. It's a good way to start the Jewish New Year with...
Arch West, Inventor of the Dorito, Dead at 97
Ashes to ashes, crunch to crunch. Arch West, a Frito-Lay executive who created the Dorito after sampling greasy fried tortilla chips while on a 1964 family vacation in Southern California, died on September 20, 2011. He was 97. At least in his case, junk food did not kill him, vascular surgery complications did. (Or perhaps the fact that he was OLD). Mr. West’s cremated remains will be placed in an urn and buried in a vault, his daughter Jana...
2011 30 Funerals in 30 Days Challenge
Gail Rubin is a politically correct funeral crasher. Starting September 30, she will attend 30 funerals or memorial services in 30 days and write about each on The Family Plot Blog. The “30 Funerals in 30 Days Challenge” will end on October 30, the 12th annual Create a Great Funeral Day. Rubin, the author of A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die, is a Certified Celebrant who brings light to a dark subject and helps...
Funny Films Talk with YMCA in D.C.
If you live in the Washington, D.C. area, you might want to come out for this talk I'm giving this coming Monday, September 26. Funny Films for Serious Funeral Planning Conversations - A Lunch & Learn sponsored by the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington's Fit & Well Seniors Program - brings light to the dark subject of funeral planning. People just learn this stuff better when they're laughing. Presenter Gail Rubin gets the conversation...
Cemetery Etiquette Views
The Dear Abby column in our local newspaper ran a number of letters yesterday in response to a July 25 letter about proper etiquette in cemeteries. Here is the original letter and Dear Abby's response: DEAR ABBY: I live down the street from the town cemetery. It contains some old stones from the 1800s that are starting to crumble. This cemetery has become a favorite place for many to walk their dogs or ride their bikes. One woman lets her dog...