The trend these days is no obit (too expensive) and cremation followed by spreading of the cremains.

Ah, makes finding documentation of death hard.

Oh and lets not talk about all the homeless people who die and are either cremated or become cadavers for students

My Dad's funeral in Utah a couple of years back was very nice. Yes, it was held at the church building, and a family friend who is a GA spoke. But, so did my brother and he did a great job. Then my sister and BIL transported the coffin via their mule-drawn wagon to the local cemetery where he was interred.

Afterward, we had a nice potluck in my sister's backyard with some of my dad's favorite party music playing.

I had no complaints.


However, DH and I have spoken of when we die. No funerals, (you can have a party if you want), donating our bodies to the local medical school. The end.

I think there are fewer newspaper obits. And no wonder--they were charging like $200/word. Ok, maybe that's stretching it a little, but when so few people read hard copy newspapers anymore, what's the point in spending that kind of money.

The funeral home will let you publish an obit on their site. Only trouble is that there are no editors. My father passed away a couple months ago and the obit was just so gramatically awful, it's kind of the family joke now. It looked like it was written by a 3rd grader. Maybe my dad wrote it himself. He had almost a PhD in physics but his English skills were atrocious. Many funeral homes are under the same umbrella (like Legacy or Dignity) so all their obits are searchable from one site. Just make sure you have someone who could pass college Freshman English take a look at it. There are plenty of ways electronically to find out about people, that hard copy documents have kind of lost their usefulness.

I did not know that cremations were getting common in Mormonville--I've been away from it for so long. But I absolutely prefer cremation than ceremonies where there is so much ritual with the body. We used to be taught that the church condemned cremation because the body and spirit have to be reunited. Never could get a straight answer about places where cremation is required by law or people who were blown apart in war. But my only wishes is that whoever spreads me to the wind finds a Joshua Tree that speaks to them and spreads me under it.

I'm (hopefully) going to wind up a cadaver for students. That's already set up (it'll happen unless I die in something where I get pretty ripped up).
Then I'll be cremated.

But I'll still be documented dead :)

angela Wrote:
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> Oh and lets not talk about all the homeless people
> who die and are either cremated or become cadavers
> for students

I thought people had to give permission in writing for their bodies to be used scientifically after death...is that not the case? I support donating bodies for science (I intend to allow my own to be so used), but to use a homeless person's body without having had the person's permission in life just seems wrong to me.

Why, it's right up there with proxy baptizing the deceased without his permission!

My Mormon bishopric con-man nephew said he was going to take care of my brother's (his father's) obituary, and I guess he e-mailed one to a few Mormon friends and family members. My brother left plenty of money, and $500 for an obituary would have been fine. The nephew's obit didn't tell any of my brother's real accomplishments--a sports scholarship to an Ivy League university, trying out for the Olympics, being drafted to serve in the military for 2 years, teaching in Peru and Mexico, being part of the beginnings of the Silicon Valley tech boom, being an engineer at the biggest tech company, proficient on the guitar and harmonica, and many more accomplishments. It was only a list of names and dates, his church callings, his mission, his marriage, children, and survivors.

Write your own obituary. (Have someone proof-read it.)
Plan and pay for your own funeral.
Leave specific instructions, of exactly what you want.

If you don't do this, your funeral might be hijacked by the Mormon cult.

I have everything already paid for--the cemetery plots, the coffin, headstone, etc. Graveside service only. No Mormon sermons or prayers. Christian stuff is fine. Nice family party afterwards.

Having an obituary is nice for the surviving family. Most of my brothers and my cousins lived away from us, and sometimes we wouldn't see them for a couple of years. I thought my nephew had put an obit in the SL Tribune, so everyone would know. It was NOT fun to see relatives and friends, and have to tell them, months later, that my brother died. He died young. I had to endure the shock and pain all over again, each time. Also, several of them would have liked to go to the funeral, which was in SLC, and they felt left out.

I will be cremated. I have also arranged for my ashes to be processed into a carbon crystal aka a man made diamond.

The trend I have noticed is a temple recommend is placed in the hands of the deceased.


Ticket to heaven I suppose.

I would say you have to be makin that up, but then I remember the people we are talking about. That is just too funny.

L Tom Petty Wrote:
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> The trend I have noticed is a temple recommend is
> placed in the hands of the deceased.
>
>
> Ticket to heaven I suppose.


LAME.