We Asked, You Responded: What Would Your Funeral Be Like?
March 6th, 2015
It is no exaggeration that most funeral professionals live and breathe and their jobs.
Whether you’re meeting with someone to pre-plan a memorable and unique funeral, or helping a family put together a service that honors the life of a loved one who has recently passed, most of our days are focused on helping our families in whatever way possible ﹘ and we wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, helping families is why we are in this profession in the first place.
But, when you’re planning out specific details and services for different funerals all day, your mind can’t help but wander to what your own funeral service might be like when the time comes. We figured that if you’re anything like us, you probably have the details planned to a tee… and we were right!
We asked our funeralOne Facebook followers, “if you could plan your own funeral, what would it be like?” Here are a few of our favorite responses:
A Funeral Full of Fun
Michelle Thompson McLarry: “The most unique, personal, fun funeral anyone could imagine with [a] little traditional just to keep it real. I want all my favorite things to be shared with my family and friends. One day I started planning my my service, I got so excited thinking about everyone having a good time celebrating my life.”
Denise Dutil York: “It’s a going away party! Put me something shiny, tap the keg, crank up the music, and rest easy knowing I’m in a much better place!”
Justin Panske: “An event that’s not sad!! All of my favorite music playing in the background and my favorite food for people to munch on. And casual, no stuffy suits and a light feel to it.”
Claudia Reza: “Traditional with a spark.”
Brian Geldhof: “A lot of laughs, beer, and hopefully I could get the band Boston to play “Peace of Mind” for me.”
Thomas Craig Griffin: “A party with a blues band dancing remembering the good ol time and thanking God for them!”
Something Totally Unique
Dave Kennedy: “First I intend to make it fun. Fun and humor have always been a big part of my life and love of life. I intend [to have] visitations at both my funeral homes with music and refreshments. Entertainment for the youths in attendance. I’d like to take everyone to a ballgame. I’ll rest in the parking lot in my coach with the radio tuned to the game. I wish [for] a large church funeral with great music and soloists. A funeral dinner of fried chicken and plenty of desserts. But most of all I want the theme to be live love and remember me with a smile.”
Mark Bennett: “A Viking funeral cremation. Send me off in a small wooden boat stacked with flammables and shoot a flaming arrow into it. Awesome way to finish. (Might have trouble getting permission though).”
Shawn Adame commented with the following photo:
Lance Boren: “It’s going to be a Celebration of Life service with a Masquerade Ball flair. As my family is seated, the service will bring with Let’s Go Crazy by Prince ‘Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.’ After the celebration which will include lots of different music, all will gather for a Masquerade Ball with gowns, suits and mask. There will be good food served and lots of vodka flowing.”
All About The Details
Mattie Sutton: “My only specific request is a cedar casket because they smell so nice. I told my kids I’d have it paid for and after that they can do what they want. Burial or cremation as long as I am in cedar!”
Jeffrey Jones: “No religion.”
Kevin Coyne: “Our family owns an Irish pub as well as the funeral home. So I told my wife [to lay] me out at the pub from 11 AM until 8 PM to the public. And then from 8 PM until the wee hours of the night celebrate like no one else had done before playing Irish music and giving Irish toasts all night long raising up the glasses! And then the next day a traditional 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 viewing. The following day a full Catholic mass and then I would like my procession to go all the way into downtown Cleveland and tie up all the streets for about an hour and then take me out to the good old Catholic cemetery!”
Alan Vondriska: “Full couch casket (I’m a Clevelander, ya know!) The oldest hearse or Cadillac ambulance my wife can find, and everybody has to sing “Nearer my God, to Thee” (shape note style) as they carry me out the doors.”
SamanthaAvenged HaluskaSevenfold: “Well I would have a viewing. I would play my 3 favorite songs, ‘can’t wait to be king,’ ‘warmness on my soul’ and ‘I won’t see you tonight part one.’ I want everyone in Color or a costume because I am a LARPer. I would want to have these cool tye-dye roses with tiger lilies as my flowers. I actually want to have a Quaker clerk do my service because they are amazing people. After the service and everyone has said words I want all of them to take a shot of mountain Dew code red. I will then be cremated and (2 ways i have thought about) be put in memorial ammunition (which is done by a company called Holy smoke) then have my family and friends target practice at an outdoor gun range at saint Clair PA on the Burma. Or the 2nd way is to be cremated into vinyl records. And that covers it mostly.”
Jennifer Bober Duran: “My favorite shoes would be on display, dark chocolate buffet, my favorite recipes printed out, I would ask certain friends to read my favorite poems, scripture and book passages, my funeral playlist in the background and I want everyone to write on my casket.”
Mark Bryant: “I was diagnosed with advanced stage 4 cancer in June of 11, told I had 8 weeks to live so I sat down with Michael Mc New a [funeral director] where I worked and I planned all the obituary and the funeral service. It was going to be a visitation, service both at the church then a cremation. I hate flowers so we were going to have 300-400 silver, white and blue balloons (Dallas Cowboys) colors on each pew. I talked to each of the speakers, told them it was to be a celebration, I picked out the music – Stairway to heaven, Son of a preacher man and Days of Elisha the last one very loud. After the service I was to be loaded into the horse drawn hearse (my grandchildren were to ride on the hearse) taken into the south parking lot for the balloon release, and red snow cones. Then taken out of the parking lot down the road and moved into the van to go back to the [funeral home] and get ready to go to the crematory….There are a lot more details I went into remission so the plans will still be the same but later.”
No Service At All
Craig Mortimer: “Dig a hole out back under my [favorite] tree and toss me in it send cards out saying I’ve passed on to better pastures.”
Shannon Urnes: “Direct Cremation”
Derek Cribbs: “I won’t be having one. Direct cremation for this guy.”
Mike Day: “Cremated, loaded in shotgun shells and everyone takes me duck hunting, skeet shooting or whatever.”
And last but not least, one commenter left some important advice for everyone:
Vernon Rams: “If I may—on a recent CE presentation..I asked about 50 in attendance…”How many of you Directors/Embalmers, have your pre-need complete..AND..written up?” 2! Not being a rear end here..I love these but please..Take a moment and write that baby up….”
Have you already planned every song, reading and detail of your future funeral? We want to hear about us! Tell us about your dream funeral in the comments below.
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