It’s Caskets Week at AGoodGoodbye.com! With Create a Great Funeral Day (Oct. 30), Visit a Cemetery Day (the last Sunday in October), Halloween/Dia de los Muertos (Oct. 31), All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2), take a look at these casket videos recorded at the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) expo. The event took place in Baltimore October 10-12, 2022. These three videos focus on different types of caskets, from eco-friendly to something that will not biodegrade, plus a vintage casket truck!
Passages International Bamboo Caskets for Cremation
In this video, Gail Rubin visits with Darren Crouch, president of Passages International. The company specializes in eco-friendly and biodegradable caskets and urns. At this convention, the company was emphasizing its bamboo casket for cremation. Many funeral homes use a cardboard box for cremation. Listen as Darren Crouch talks about the benefits: beautiful, affordable, clean and fast burning, low carbon footprint, and fair trade created. The bamboo casket is made in Bangladesh, creating jobs and skills for their workers there. Learn more at www.PassagesInternational.com or www.AGreenerFuneral.org.
Thacker Caskets and Vintage Casket Truck
Danielle Thacker, Executive VP of Sales & Marketing for Thacker Caskets, shows a classic casket truck the company recently restored. The truck was purchased by her grandparents in the 1960s. Found abandoned in a forest with a tree growing through the truck, it took them three years to restore this unique vehicle. Thacker Caskets is the third-largest casket company in America, and the third-generation family-owned company is based in Maryland. Their metal caskets are made in Alabama, and their wooden caskets are made with a family owned company in Canada. Learn more at their website: www.ThackerCaskets.com.
Clear View Caskets
In this video, Gail visits with Rangel & Andrea Fernandez, Owners and Co-Founders of Clear View Caskets. Gail does a “test rest” in their new GOLD COLLECTION CASKET, popularly known by families as “The Snow White Casket” due to its round top design.
Clear View Caskets was founded by this couple in their home garage. Their state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is now based out of Miami Florida, employing USA workers who build the caskets by hand. They export their luxury and unique casket collections nationally and internationally.
Their intention was to offer a revolutionary way to truly VIEW the passing of a loved one. What they never anticipated was the social and psychological benefits thousands of families all across America are reporting. “We all fear what we cannot see, therefore, this exceptional product provides much more than luxury,” explained Andrea Fernandez. Their slogan states; “HEALING BEGINS WITH A CLEAR VIEW CASKET!” Clear View Caskets® owns the patent to this concept of the transparent casket, as well as all design variations and functionality in America and other countries. Their website is www.ClearViewCaskets.com and you can follow them on Instagram @clearviewcaskets.
For more videos about products and services exhibited at the NFDA convention and other funeral and cemetery expos, check out the Tools of the Trade playlist on YouTube.
Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and The Doyenne of Death, attended and spoke at the NFDA convention on “How a Before I Die Festival Can Fill Your Preneed Pipeline” (view her presentation rehearsal here). She also interviewed exhibitors at this funeral industry event. Subscribe to her YouTube channel @Gail Rubin for more videos about death and funeral planning information – know before you go, shop before you drop!