Funerals... and the scrapping of.

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slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
I have told Mrs Ian to fire me up in a rocket/firework...
I sincerely hope you specified thunderous explosions and giant blue starbursts.:smile:
 
You don't have to have a traditional funeral. You could arrange it yourself, buy your own coffin transport it to the crematorium in your own vehicle, or you could not have any ceremonies and just have the ashes delivered to you or scattered without ever having seen the coffin. What about having family members collect you from the mortuary wrap you in shroud and bury you in the garden? Maybe donate your body to medical science. There are other options.
I've got a funeral to go to next Friday, my former manager died Wednesday night.

I'm with you on the above, I've told Mrs SJ I'd be happy to be taken from the site of my demise in a body bag and cremated with no one present and no ceremony. In fact that is what I would prefer, the thought of everyone gathering round for a service and a wake in my memory gives me the creeps. I just want to slide out barely noticed and without any fuss.

The departed are soon forgotten by most of the mourners anyway, it has always struck me how soon they are airbrushed out of everyone's thoughts, apart from those people immediately close to them.
 

PK99

Legendary Member
Location
SW19
As a lad I was Alter boy at dozens of funerals at our Catholic Church. My abiding memory of most is of a small group of folk huddled around the coffin at the front of quite a large church. The mourners rattling in the echoing empty space.

My dad was the local cobbler for many years. A very quite, shy and humble man. Generations of kids bringing the famly shoes into his crappy little workshop for mending. His last few years before retiring he was a labourer at Leyland Motors. In 1979, I was 24, he died very suddenly of a ruptured aortic aneurysm.

A week later, we entererd the church behind the coffin. It was full. Standing room only. The whole community catholic and non-catholic alike had come to pay respect.

"...and he thought he was a non entity..." said my mum at the family wake later in the day.

I have respected and valued the funeral process ever since.
 
funny-facebook-friends-funeral.jpg
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
The most unusual ceremony that I attended was the scattering of the ashes of two aeromodellers. Some of their ashes were load into a hopper of a large freeflight model which was duly launched and a timer opened the hopper to discharge the ashes over RAF Barkstone Heath. The remainder were scattered along the main runway.
 
FWIW I am now approaching the age where a lot folk that are much older than me will be joining the burial queues. .
TBH you are fast approaching the stage that we'd all like to see the back of you ;)
 

Stephenite

Membå
Location
OslO
A man i worked with for a few years died. A very lovely man. A very strong and compassionate man. We worked building auditoriums mainly. He taught me about joinery and welding. And when we weren't working we were talking. He had been a sailor and engineer, and traveled the world in a time when the world was big. Lots of stories to tell and lots of knowledge to share. I would tell people on the building sites (or anyone that would listen) if there were ten of these men on the job it/everything would be finished tomorrow. It would of been too.

Anyway, not being the sort to complain, he died quietly. He phoned me, but being daft as i am i didn't understand the gravity of the conversation. Funeral just for the family. I'd like to have gone. To share with others just what a fantastic, good, and giving man he was.
 
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slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
I've got a funeral to go to next Friday, my former manager died Wednesday night.

I'm with you on the above, I've told Mrs SJ I'd be happy to be taken from the site of my demise in a body bag and cremated with no one present and no ceremony. In fact that is what I would prefer, the thought of everyone gathering round for a service and a wake in my memory gives me the creeps. I just want to slide out barely noticed and without any fuss.

The departed are soon forgotten by most of the mourners anyway, it has always struck me how soon they are airbrushed out of everyone's thoughts, apart from those people immediately close to them.
Screwfix do a good line in stout rubble sacks. Buy a few and graft them together with some gaffer tape. When you are ready, seal the top with a large cable tie. Get someone to stick you on the pavement on bin night.
All-up cost? About a tenner tops, less if they have a Stanley knife. You do however run the risk of the local council charging your pals with an "Eco-Crime Scene"
 

SpokeyDokey

68, & my GP says I will officially be old at 70!
Moderator
I shied away from attending a funeral yesterday. It wasn't a person close to me so I didn't feel like i had to attend, but am feeling slightly guilty for not attending and supporting the family... but it got me thinking... do we need funerals?

Like weddings and christenings, a funeral is (IMO) a pointless ritual. Personally, I'd rather not have one. If i was leaving a party early i'd just quietly slope off rather than get everyone's attention and announce my departure. Some may argue that the 'send off' is important for grieving friends and family, but is it? Or is it just something that keeps funeral directors in business and allows florists to profit from grief. I say scrap the funeral ritual.

*Is this a suitable cafe topic? ...or more SC&P?

My Mum died in '92. :sad:

She was adamant that there was to be no formal funeral. In her words she wanted to 'be taken away with no one following, cremated and then scattered'.

She just asked my brother and I to go somewhere 'pretty' (for her that involved flowers) and think of her whilst she was being cremated.

Which is what happened. I scattered her ashes on her parents grave as she hadn't specified where, and was entirely non-plussed about it too. Seemed appropriate to me.

Each to their own and tbh I am doing the same. My wife agrees, the kids are horrified but it's my last wish and that's the end of it.
 
OP
OP
MontyVeda

MontyVeda

a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
My Mum died in '92. :sad:

She was adamant that there was to be no formal funeral. In her words she wanted to 'be taken away with no one following, cremated and then scattered'.

She just asked my brother and I to go somewhere 'pretty' (for her that involved flowers) and think of her whilst she was being cremated.

Which is what happened. I scattered her ashes on her parents grave as she hadn't specified where, and was entirely non-plussed about it too. Seemed appropriate to me.

Each to their own and tbh I am doing the same. My wife agrees, the kids are horrified but it's my last wish and that's the end of it.
Spokey... that is beautiful, dignified and respectful.
 
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