It was an exciting week at I Want a Fun Funeral! First, on Sunday October 23, 2016 there was the article on the front page of The Philadelphia Inquirer about my workshop. Thanks to an excellent reporter and photographer, anyone who couldn’t quite imagine what the class was like got a pretty good impression. Beyond grateful. (And not just for myself, but also for adult schools, of which I am a huge fan.)
And if that wasn’t enough (which it was) that evening was the start of the National Funeral Directors Association Convention, conveniently held this year in Philadelphia. I saw my girl-Kyle-friend and death midwife, Kyle Sipple, and Amy Cunningham, an innovative funeral director based in Brooklyn, NY. I made a new friend, Charles Sherman from California, who makes urns and sterling silver jewelry for cremains. And saw more caskets and hearses than I ever hope to see again, thank you. Not that there’s anything wrong with them, it just all reminded me of how much I crave modern, more personal alternatives. I could look at a sea of handmade and decorated caskets all day long.
Below, a random photo assortment of things I wandered across…
A beautiful willow casket for a green burial.
A replica of a coral reef made with cremains, from McCulley Marine Services in FL. The actual size of a real one is about 10′ tall!
A quite modern and sleek looking casket! Never saw one like this.
A non-profit funeral organization hosted a Funeral Feud game. Great fun.
(What ones can you think of? Chicken, sandwiches, and mac & cheese were the top choices.)
A company called FuneralOne, a consulting company for the funeral care profession, had a truck outside with this promise for the future. I hope they’re right.
My parting glance at the Philly skyline before heading home.
And because it’s the Halloween season, may I present the handmade and decorated scarecrows my family made. Really, how I wish they could get their hands on a casket.