Funeral thoughts

[Wynton]

I went to a funeral for my friend's father over the weekend, and was dreading it. But I actually enjoyed the experience, for a couple of reasons.

(1) I got to hear a few moving speeches about the deceased, which gave me some more insight about my friend;
(2) I had the chance to speak to a group of people that I had not seen for years.

It also helped that the deceased was elderly and had endured health problems for years, which meant that the death was hardly unexpected.

So, I guess the point is that these events are not necessarily depressing for all, even though I have been to a few tear-jerkers.

One fascinating thing is to hear the different types of people speak. In this case, a few members of the immediate family spoke, and a few close friends. But there were a couple of people who spoke who really didn't know the deceased that well. And one used it as an opportunity to discuss his own religious views.

There was also a kid who looked about 7 years old, presumably a great-nephew or something like that. He essentially got up, said he was not even sure how he was related, but that he liked the guy.

Anyway, I leave you with a couple of questions.

(1) Have you had similarly "enjoyable" funerals?
(2) Are you the type who is likely to speak at a funeral?

[Fishwhenican]

Personally I hate funerals. Even if I do not know the deceased well it is so hard for me to see the people who loved them so darn sad. It just tears my heart out. We had a funeral here a couple of years ago for a boy who went the school where I work that was killed in a car accident and it was so sad to see all of his school friends crying and his mother literally wailing and crying. There were a lot of people there, so many in fact that they had to have it in the HS Gym and it was filled.

I am not one who would be able to do a reading at a funeral. I have buried my dad and mom both and did not read at either one. My sister and I played and sang the songs for my dad's funeral and I barely made it thought that for gosh sake.

About the only good thing I can come up with for funerals is that it brings together family you hardly ever get to see. Of course with some families I have seen where this is actually a very bad thing though as well.

[MissT74]

I gave the eulogy at my niece's funeral. She was 10 days old when she died, and we knew that she had Trisomy-18 at 6 months term. My sister decided not to selective abort (she was a twin) and gave birth to both. During the 10 days of life, the entire family stayed with my sister at her house in CA and we all took turns/shifts taking care of the baby, had hospice in the house, etc. etc.

This is a sister that I grew up HATING, no joke. However, because I'm in the medical field, I seemed to be the one elected to care the most for the baby (Jocelyn) during her 10 days and that really, truly, brought me and my sister close together and thus I was the one who spoke at the funeral upon her request.

Never had an "enjoyable" funeral, but have been to about 7 in the past 8 years.

T

[youtalkfunny]

When my wife lost her grandmother, it was the first non-Catholic funeral I had ever attended. During the service, the Baptist reverend excitedly urged God to accept her into heaven. He told us that heaven was a glorious place, and the old lady would really like it there.

I'm atheist, so I wasn't buying this--but I found it positively refreshing. This preacher was actually saying comforting things to the bereaved. I was used to Catholic services, where the solemn priest would beg in a droning monotone, "Please, God, accept this worthless sinner into your Kingdom...I know we're not even worthy of asking you this, so pardon our insolence as we ask you to take this lousy sinner and cut her a break..."

[tuq]

At my grandmother's funeral in July, I was impressed by the tact of the people that run the mortuary. I think some members of my family knew the people that ran the place, but it must be tough or a facade to host the bereaved every single day without becoming jaded and not giving a crap, yet the empathy from these guys seemed very real. Between the visitation and the funeral at a Catholic church to the burial, these guys were on the ball and took care of everything. Seamless.

Also, I put the "fun" in funeral, and while I didn't plan to drink after we drove to the gravesite, we are all Irish and ended up at some VFW place and got hammered on a bar tab sponsored by her trust, heh.

[Wynton]

[ QUOTE ]
I put the "fun" in funeral

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you've found your new location or signature line.

[MrWookie]

I'm not as much the type to want to say something at a funeral. I can never come up with the right words. For my grandmother's funeral back in April, though, I sang instead. I think that fits me much better.

[tuq]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I put the "fun" in funeral

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you've found your new location or signature line.

[/ QUOTE ]
Nah. I may have thought of that one although it's not super clever. The last time I used it someone came up with "yeah well I put the 'laugh' in 'manslaughter'", which I thought was much better.

[Dominic]

I like peaking at funerals of people I cared about...it helps me grieve and I'm good at it. I always tell a funny story of the deceased, and it's a great relief to everyone there to be able to laugh through the tears.

At my Nana's funeral I told about how my grandmother would stay with my cousins and I over the summer, cooking and cleaning for us, swearing at us when we were bad, and the ridiculous things she would mishear and say because her hearing aid was turned off. I had the whole church rolling with laughter and it started a whole "do you remember when Nana did this" thing...

great funeral...

[Orlando Salazar]

I only wear white to a funeral. This does wonders for u and some peeps around.