The #funeralservice was in the #CatholicChurch my #mom used to take us.

It felt strange seeing the inside of the place again. Maybe it's because I was younger, but I remember the church being so much bigger than it seemed today.

We went over some plans for the funeral service. We also wrote out an obituary. For the service it feels like there are more things to do than we have people to do them. It’s frustrating. As always, I want to make everyone happy and I just can’t.

There was some talk of my father’s will tonight. that weirded me out in a major way. I’m sure there will be more to come, but it’s something I never wanted to think about and now that it has begun, I want it even less.

Miss Robin tried to make me feel better. She’s fluffy and cute so that’s something she’s good at.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/53959330503/in/datetaken/

As for tomorrow? No idea. I want to spend time with my wife. I want to spend time with music. I want to go grocery shopping. I want to jump into the car with Jen and run away and not come back for days. So… the usual Saturday thinking.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/08/30/planning-2/

#Cat #funeral #funeralArrangements #funeralService #iphoneography #Kitty #photography #planning #robin #thingsToDo #toDoList

As a celebrant, there is nothing nicer than receiving a message, showing the gratitude of the family, following a ceremony.
We had a lovely ceremony last week and this was posted on our local social media app this morning.

#humanistfuneralcelebrant #humanistsuk #funeralservice #humanistceremonies #funeraldirector #bereavement #nonreligious #humanism

https://nextdoor.co.uk/p/J9cPx2xRBpZG?utm_source=share&extras=MTc1OTIxOTQyMTIzNTU%3D&utm_campaign=1708935251724

Follow me for more funeral hacks 👍🏻

(but seriously, I can help you think of ways to personalize funeral services)

#HisAndHearsePress #Funeral #FuneralService #Mortuary #MortuaryScience #DeathPositive #CelebrationOfLife #Pinata #Bees

#FuneralFactFriday: Full Body Casket Burial at Sea
🛥️ ⚰️ 💦

Did you know you don’t have to be cremated to get thrown in the ocean???

Full bodies can be buried at sea in caskets! It’s not limited to folks serving in the Navy or other military branches. Anyone can do it (not like Dexter, please hire a legit funeral director who knows how to do it properly).

There are a few requirements. If a casket is used, it needs to be stainless steel and have all the plastic inside removed. Twenty holes (2” diameter) are drilled through the casket to facilitate flooding and air venting. The casket must be secured shut with six durable stainless steel bands, chains, or natural fiber rope. Sand or concrete weights are added (no lead) to help the casket sink and stay put. Ultimately it’ll turn into a reef.

If a casket is not used, the EPA recommends a weighted biodegradable shroud. You may also toss flowers or floral wreaths into the water with the body, as long as all materials are decomposable.

A private boat is hired to take the casket, funeral director, and a few guests out to sea. They must travel at least 3 nautical miles from shore and release the casket into water a minimum of 600’ deep. If the boat regularly performs burials at sea, they might have a platform with rollers to get the casket out into the water with a push and a sploosh. A final yeet into the deep.

No special permission is required, short of filing standard paperwork like a death certificate and disposition permit. The EPA must be notified within 30 days. If it does happen to be performed by the military, there’s no family present to witness. It’s just handled on a regularly scheduled deployment.

Would you be interested in a full body burial at sea???

#HisAndHearsePress #FunFacts #FunFactFriday #Funeral #Burial #BurialAtSea #Ocean #Casket #DidYouKnow #MortuaryScience #FuneralService #FuneralDirector #Yeet

💀 It’s National Funeral Director & Mortician Appreciation Day!!! 🥳

Death care is strenuous, stressful, demanding, and low paying. It’s often a thankless job, as grieving families are understandably focused on other things.

Take a moment today to consider what morticians face on a daily basis. Death, unfathomable grief, gruesome bodies, tales of devastation, broken families, long unpredictable hours, and generally the worst things you can imagine. Many of us burn out or resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms. It’s a calling though, and we can’t resist the drive to help those in need.

Has a funeral director helped you navigate through a loss? Send them a note to let them know they made an impact on your life. Though we certainly appreciate tips, lunches, and mementos, we don’t expect them. Sometimes the best reward is hearing that our work mattered.

I have a box full of thank you cards that help remind me of my purpose when days are tough. 🖤

#HisAndHearsePress #NationalFuneralDirectorAndMorticianRecognitionDay #FuneralDirector #Mortician #Embalmer #Undertaker #MortuaryScience #Funeral #FuneralService #FuneralProfession #ThankYou

#WordyWednesday: Shrouding Women

When you think of morticians, you might conjure images of creepy old men in black suits. But did you know that they've only been "in charge" of the dead for the last century or so? Before that, men were typically responsible for building coffins and digging graves. Body preparation fell to the women!

Women were already tasked with nursing the sick, distributing herbs, and aiding in childbirth, so bathing and dressing the dead was a natural progression. Since it was a duty that demanded care, gentleness, and propriety, men were simply unsuited to the task. Enter the shrouding women.

Many neighborhood women became skilled and knowledgeable in the art of preparing the dead. They understood the weather's effect on decomposition and how to tend to bodies suffering from various conditions. They lent their expertise to those in need, not for monetary compensation but as an act of community.

Duties included preparing a cooling board (sometimes an ironing board or barn door placed over chairs), washing and dressing the corpse, closing the eyes and mouth (coins on eyes and jaws secured shut with tied rags or forked sticks propped against the breast bone), and otherwise arranging the body into a restful pose.

Commercialization of death care after the Civil War led cabinetmakers to evolve from coffin builders to embalmers. They wrested control of bodies away from women, claiming women were weak, delicate, and unable to tolerate the sight of blood. As the men rose into the ranks of professionals, women were relegated to the sidelines of death care. They became decorations. Trade journal advertisements portrayed men doing funeral work and women as objects of beauty. The foundation was laid for men to dominate the industry for the next 100 years.

Fortunately, we've come full circle and women are entering funeral service in droves. Over 70% of graduating mortuary science classes are women. Turns out we *can* handle some blood after all.

#HisAndHearsePress #InternationalWomensDay #WomensDay #WomenInSTEM #WomenSupportingWomen #DeathCare #FuneralService #MortuaryScience #MortuarySchool #DeathPositive #FuneralDirector #Embalmer #Mortician #Undertaker