This is a Guest Post by Miri Rossitto
While researching for a book on funeral preplanning, I was fascinated to learn the ways in which Baby Boomers are reshaping the funeral industry.
As a generation, Boomers are so committed to individuality, unconventionality and personal expression that U.S. funerals are increasingly breaking the traditional mold. For example, when San Francisco bar owner Jack Smith learned he had terminal cancer, he planned a yacht cruise for his friends with a jazz band and a scattering of his ashes to the tune of “I’ll Be Seeing You.” (www.flatrock.org)
Many Baby Boomers, if they think about it, would prefer not to be memorialized in a somber, pre-formatted affair—41% say they’d rather their friends and family threw a huge party—but most fail to make their wishes known before they die. The best way to ensure your funeral will be a unique expression of you is to plan it yourself. Here are some ideas for planning a personalized funeral:
- Contact a death midwife or a celebrant. These professionals can take the place of a traditional funeral director and help you plan (and execute) a nontraditional memorial service.
- Instead of hiring a typical hearse, have your body driven to the cemetery in your favorite classic car, a horse-drawn hearse, a bicycle hearse, a motorcycle with a sidecar hearse or some other mode of transportation that reflects your personality.
- Individualize your coffin. Depending on the type of coffin you choose, you may be able to add personal touches to it. Wooden coffins can be painted in your favorite colors. Biodegradable cardboard coffins, which reflect a commitment to the environment, can be painted, drawn upon, signed or decorated with a collage. (Ordering your coffin directly from a wholesaler instead of from a funeral home can also save you from paying a 300-500% markup.
- Take your memorial service outside the typical church or funeral home and plan for a location that reflects your interests: a boat, a park or a party venue, for example.
Of course, the most important thing you can do to to ensure your send-off is everything you want it to be is to discuss it with your family beforehand.
Conversations about death can be difficult to initiate, but your loved ones will find relief in knowing your wishes are being carried out.
This is a Guest Post by Miri Rossitto who is the founder of Valley of Life, an online memorial website, as well as the author of “The Funeral Preplanning Guide” eBook.
Photo attribution:
Cadillac Hearse - Greg Pye
Motor Cycle Hearse – thebig429
[...] discusses these changes as a guest blogger today on the Baby Boomers U.S. blog, where she offers tips for preplanning an unconventional funeral that reflects your personality. [...]
[...] week, Miri Rossitto did a guest post about Baby Boomers and Funeral Planning. It got me to thinking about my own way of being disposed of when the great silence finally [...]