Death Rituals

[Milo 0]

The History Channel has a documentary on right now regarding the construction of caskets. Not that I'm terribly interested, but it got me thinking about my father's funeral, nearly 5 years ago.

One of the strangest memories is a comment from the funeral director.
Pop died on a Friday morning, I took a suit and such to the funeral home that day or the next so he could be properly presented for the visitation. When I went to the funeral home before the visitation, the funeral director mentioned that I had forgotten to bring underpants for my father, and he had dressed him without them.
He seemed somewhat disturbed.
I thought about it for a moment and quickly decided that 1.) The old man wouldn't have cared. Had he been asked before he died I think his response would have been something like 'Why would I care? I'm dead!"
2.) None of the people paying their respects would see it, or hopefully even think about the possibility.

Over the years that comment keeps coming back to me. Did I disrespect my old man by burying him without underwear?

[unformed 0]

I don't think so ... no offense to the dead, but they are --dead--.

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[cvfd1399 0]

i dont know him, but i bet if you ever had a conversation about it he would laugh, and tell you that it was a inside joke that you shared.

[Vallerina 2]

My uncle owned a funeral home, and when he died, they accidentally put my other uncle's pants on him. So, he laid in the casket with pants that were about a foot too long. None of my family was appauled, and we thought that it was actually kinda neat that the nephew who he was closest to...well, he'd be wearing his pants in the grave!

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[gemini 0]

I'm sure he didn't mind, especially since the pants and suit coat were split up the back and wrapped around his body. I was appalled when I found out funeral homes did that...and then realized it really didn't make any difference anyway.

Blue skies,

Jim

[akarunway 1]

I don't think so ... no offense to the dead, but they are --dead--. ---------------------------------------------I once had a small shop in an industrial complex. Two doors down was a one man mortician shop. He hated our " business is pretty dead lately, eh? " jokes. One day he sent someone over to ask for a hammer and some nails as he was doing a traditional crating up and shipping back to the Middle East ( I think ), a body. The women of the family washed the body and each drove a nail in the casket ( box). Well we said, this is America. All we can offer is a screwgun and some drywall screws. He didn't laugh as usual. TRUE STORY

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[Skyrad 0]

NOt in the slightest, I think the funeral director was a little odd.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca