This is a neat idea.

89 year-old grandmother Margaret Hubl of Nebraska was a quilter. (We all know a quilter, don’t we?) As one of her granddaughters said,

“Never did I imagine how many there were…”

Margaret’s family decided to put all the quilts out for display, so they draped them over the pews at the church for her funeral. Almost every pew was covered. They were all made as gifts for her grandchildren.

So simple, so little effort or planning required, yet making such an impact. Thoroughly and poignantly personal. A perfect tribute that touches everyone and shines the light on not the awfulness of  death, but on the beauty of a life that made a difference. 

Probably no one in the family will ever forget those quilts on the pews. They will think of her and smile.

All it takes is a little pondering about what was important to this person — what did they do that touched others? How did they spend their time, what were their hobbies, how did they express themselves?

And this is your I Want a Fun Funeral takeaway: It’s unlikely (though not impossible, with all due respect) that a funeral director would have thought of this. How would they even know to ask?

You, me, we, all of us… it is up to US to put the person’s life into their sendoff. The funeral director can do the formalities, but the ball is in our court to make it personal, meaningful, and rock-solid expressive. It’s not a difficult project. LOOK AROUND, THINK, FEEL, and simply decide to not forgo your loved one’s personality. Have them there!!

If you want, read more about it here.

Photo credit: Christina Tollman