Funeral Homes

Pour Mama down the Drain

July 10, 2010

It’s the logical continuation of a society that allows cremation, but I’m hard-pressed to think of anything more horrid than this: Undertakers in Belgium plan to eschew traditional burials and cremations and start dissolving corpses instead. The move is intended to tackle a lack of burial space and environmental concerns as 573lbs of carbon dioxide [...]

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Clergy Record

December 15, 2009

I’ve been wondering this for 11 years: Every time someone dies, the funeral home gives me a “Clergy Record,” with the deceased’s name, address, and basic details like when they were born, when they died, when the funeral is/was, and so forth. Guilt and a sense of respect for the dead keeps me from throwing [...]

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The blood-drainers have gone way too far this time

August 18, 2008

When I lived in southern Illinois, I had bad experience after bad experience with the funeral homes. Some were worse than others, but the men running them were all obsessed with the title “Funeral Director.” It trumped all things religious, and since our Lutheran church didn’t exactly run a Baptist tissue-soaker, it often meant war. [...]

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