The Family Plot Blog
Glass Remembrance Cremation Art
At the ICCFA expo, several vendors are showing examples of glass art that incorporates a small portion of a loved one's cremated remains. Leatrice Guttentag was on the 80th floor of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Surviving the massive trauma of that day gave her a new perspective on life. She left the work world of business and finance to focus on glass art. "I realized life's too short to chase things that you don't love," said...
ICCFA Opening Reception Exhibits
Opening night at the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association Convention and Exposition in Las Vegas revealed some interesting new developments in funeral supplies. Here are some photos taken this evening, along with information. Another vehicle on display from Wacker Neuson SE, a global manufacturer of light and compact equipment and vehicles with over 30 affiliates and more than 180 locations across the globe. Here at ICCFA...
On the Way to ICCFA
Heading out to the convention of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) today. The event, a very big deal in the death care industry, is taking place at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada the rest of this week. And today is Mardi Gras - it should be an interesting scene there. I was just in the fabulous Las Vegas, New Mexico yesterday, stopping there to fill up the gas tank (almost...
Nederland’s Carousel of Happiness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eULCqIy5Flo On Friday, before things got underway at Frozen Dead Guy Days, we got a look around town. The Carousel of Happiness has hand-carved animals created by a local artist. It also has 27 solar photovoltaic panels that help power the merry-go-round in this octagon-shaped building. The mechanism for the ride is 100 years old and came from Utah. The $1 per 2-3 minute ride will go to support children's...
Frozen Dead Guy Days & The Newly-Dead Game
We played two rounds of The Newly-Dead Game at Frozen Dead Guy Days. Three sets of couples competed, and each received a copy of A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die. The top scoring couples also received a small bottle of champagne. The weather was very cold and windy in Nederland today, and the tent was packed with people seeking some warmth and shelter from the wind. A tip of the hat to everyone who played...
Boulder Bookstore
Last night, Dave and I visited the Boulder Bookstore, where they have five copies of A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die on the shelf in their psychology section/death & dying. We even got a picture of me pointing to the books on the shelf. (See below - bad case of "hat hair.") We were up in Nederland today, preparing for Frozen Dead Guy Days. It is cold up here. They aren't kidding with their slogan Freeze the...
From Frozen Dead Guy Days to ICCFA Convention
With Frozen Dead Guy Days this weekend, followed immediately by the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association convention (ICCFA) in Las Vegas next week, it's going to be a long, strange trip. Tune in this weekend for coverage of Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colorado. We'll post photos and video of the coffin races, polar plunge, frozen turkey bowling and salmon tossing, and general merriment at this celebration of all...
Gearing Up for Frozen Dead Guy Days
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhBfZ2iSVEo My husband Dave and I are gearing up to hit the road to Colorado for Frozen Dead Guy Days this weekend! We're bringing five hundred copies of A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die, beautiful eye-catching posters for the book and "The Newly-Dead Game," and all of our most outrageous skull-decorated clothing. The YouTube video at the top of this post shows a short talk I did...
The Party No One Wants to Plan
Have you ever gone to a party, showing up with a bottle of wine as a gift for the hosts, and found they’re not ready yet? Maybe they’re still cleaning up or putting the kids’ toys away, the food isn’t ready, or oh no, the bar’s not set up! Two attributes that set a gracious host apart from an unprepared one are the ability to organize and communicate. Most experienced party throwers know it takes some planning to put together a successful...
Elizabeth Edwards: Privacy and Her Will
Stephen Hartnett with the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys did an insightful blog post today about revocable trusts and privacy in death. He used the example of how Elizabeth Edwards changed her will just a week before she died, and how she protected her family's privacy with a revocable trust. The updated will became public for all the world to see on January 5, 2011. People who don't have wills, or have never seen one, may find...
The Newly-Dead Game Debuts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgfozBMno3Q Yesterday, with the help of a wonderful group of friends, I did a trial run of "The Newly-Dead Game" in anticipation of taking it big time at Frozen Dead Guy Days in two weeks. The general consensus: It's fun! It's educational! It's a great way to get the funeral planning conversation going! Three couples played: Lenann and Ken, Lois and Ed, and Pat and Jay. They were charged with answering "last...
Explore! New Mexico Book Review
Explore! New Mexico is a blog that focuses on the Land of Enchantment and spots of interest across state, exploring the people, places, history, and culture of New Mexico. They just posted a short book review of A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die. There is one journey we all make ... the journey at the end of life. New Mexican author Gail Rubin has written a book certain to inform, enlighten, and guide every one of...
The Curve Balls of Life and Death
Four members of my immediate family passed away over the last year. In answer to your question, two were older, and two were not.
Another Joke
Recently, two widows were at lunch. When the check came, the more recently bereaved asked her friend if she could cover the bill, saying that she was a little strapped at the moment. Concerned, the friend asked, "But, you just got a $20,000 insurance settlement. What happened?" "Well," said the new widow, "expenses were high. It cost $8,000 for the funeral and another $2,000 for the casket. Then, there were $3,000 in remaining medical expenses...
Time Goes By on A Good Goodbye
Time Goes By, the respected blog by Ronni Bennett on "what it's really like to get older," just featured A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die. She calls it "an excellent book with everything you could possibly want to know about burying loved ones." Under Interesting Stuff - 12 February 2011 she wrote: A Good Goodbye is filled the practical and ephemeral from the dealing with funeral homes to obituaries, customs of...
When Pregnancy and Hospice Collide
A recent online discussion at The Washington Post's website, the Tell Me About It column by Carolyn Hax, looked at a young woman's dilemma - she's pregnant, lives far away from her parents, and just completed a visit on the East Coast with her father, who has had cancer for three years. He seemed relatively well when she left. Shortly after she got home on the West Coast, her father was transferred into hospice to await the inevitable. She's 33...
Military Disposition Bill in NM
The New Mexico House of Representatives has passed a bill designed to ensure that every person serving in active-duty military receive burials in accordance to their wishes. It's funeral planning for those who don't plan to die, but their lives are on the line. Currently, any family member, spouse or even ex-spouse can make decisions about final arrangements for military personnel, and they may not make choices the person would have wanted. The...
Saving Money on Funerals
The Canton Repository (Ohio) just ran two articles about how to save money on funerals. The stories about funeral planning ran in their newspaper on Sunday, February 6, 2011, and these articles appeared online yesterday. Yours truly was quoted, along with Joshua Slocum, executive director of the Funeral Consumers Alliance. Here are the first few paragraphs of each article. Click on the headline to read the whole story. Final Arrangements -...
Presbyterian Funeral Traditions
This post highlights general funeral practices for Presbyterians. The actual practices of individuals, families, and congregations may vary. The Presbyterian Church (USA) is the result of at least ten different denominational mergers over the last 250 years. There are approximately 3.6 million adherents in the United States. The body is rarely viewed, but the family may do so at a visitation event at the funeral home before the funeral. The...
Frozen Dead Guy Day Grand Marshals
News from the Nederland Chamber of Commerce about Frozen Dead Guy Days! A trio of Boulder filmmakers is coming up the canyon to help celebrate the region’s most celebrated subzero senior citizen. After 20 years of hard work, first creating award-winning documentary films and then creating the world-class Boulder International Film Festival, they will find themselves the toasts of the town at the upcoming Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland. Their...
Crestone Colorado Open Air Funeral Pyres
The Associated Press beat me to the story about the open air cremations in Crestone, Colorado, probably the only place in the United States where you can be cremated on a funeral pyre. I interviewed Stephanie Gaines a few months ago, and hadn't written it up yet. You have to be a resident of Crestone for at least six months before you can take advantage of their open air cremation option. Some of the story, as it appeared on WashingtonPost.com:...