Illinois funeral director Jason Newell and his wife Amy saw a need for something more respectful than a cardboard box for cremations and less scary than a black body bag for removals from homes. They designed and created HONOR bags, a patent pending all-in-one funeral product that can be used as a cot cover, removal bag, cremation container and soft casket/burial unit.
In this video, they demonstrate how the HONOR bag can be utilized for home removals, viewing before a cremation, and as an alternative container for cremation. I like that they used mannequins in their product demonstration. Why don’t more casket manufacturers do that?
The fabric over the leak-proof liner softens the look of a body bag, while the built-in pouch underneath can accommodate a rigid board that turns the HONOR bag into a cremation container. Each bag has six handles, giving family and friends the opportunity to serve as pallbearers. The HONOR bag’s zipper can be opened to allow a final identification of the deceased before cremation. It can also serve as a low-cost soft casket.
The idea for HONOR bags was formed when Jason went to do a removal in the midst of last winter’s polar vortex, when it was zero degrees outside. He brought the cart into the living room, but the way the home had been added on to, he couldn’t maneuver the cart to the bedroom where the deceased was located.
He resorted to using a black body bag to carry the deceased out to the living room and saw the look of horror on the faces of the family members. It appeared that their loved one was being carried out in a black trash bag. The next day, Jason Newell had the idea to make a body bag beautiful, and also give it multiple uses.
Jason’s father Herbert Newell was a great support for Jason and Amy as they ran their funeral home. He helped out at the business for 18 years. In July, Jason brought the prototype to show his father. Three days later, his dad died unexpectedly. Jason was glad that his father got to see the new product before he passed.
HONOR bags are manufactured in Mount Vernon, Illinois – made in America! Learn more at www.HonorFuneralProducts.com.
Recorded at the 2014 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Convention and Expo in Nashville, Tennessee by Gail Rubin, CT, The Doyenne of Death®, host and author of the award-winning TV show and book, A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die.