In article ,
geoff writes:

At school (just a few years back), I had a friend whose father was the
MD of Rigid Containers

http://www.rigid.co.uk/

He always said that he was going to be interred in a cardboard coffin


The inventor of the Pringles tube, Dr. Fredric J. Baur,
was buried in a large Pringles tube last year.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

In message , Tim S
writes
ARWadsworth coughed up some electrons that declared:

As an aside

Can anyone remember the last time that they saw an open coffin?

It is something that I have not seen for many years.

Adam

When my father died, I took my 4 year old daughter to the undertakers to
say "goodbye Grandad", courtesy of an open coffin.

Not to everyone's taste, but it was a good thing in our case and she handled
it very well. My son was unlikley to handle it well, being much younger, so
he didn't go.

I wasn't sure that I'd be able to handle it

I'm glad I did


--
geoff

Frank Erskine coughed up some electrons that declared:

What about a load of car body filler to secure you into it?


I'd like to be cremated with a *very* large can of expanding foam secreted
away in the coffin.

At least my ghost will have a good laugh watching what that does to the
crematorium furnace

In message , Tim S
writes
Frank Erskine coughed up some electrons that declared:

What about a load of car body filler to secure you into it?


I'd like to be cremated with a *very* large can of expanding foam secreted
away in the coffin.

At least my ghost will have a good laugh watching what that does to the
crematorium furnace

Ah - the Peter Parry send off ...

--
geoff

geoff wrote:
In message , Tim S
writes
ARWadsworth coughed up some electrons that declared:

As an aside

Can anyone remember the last time that they saw an open coffin?

Are you talking about an open coffin, as in at a wake or funeral
service, though, where everyone 'pays their respects'? (not quite the
same thing as the posters below experience which I think is pretty
widespread practice)

When my father died, I took my 4 year old daughter to the undertakers to
say "goodbye Grandad", courtesy of an open coffin.

Not to everyone's taste, but it was a good thing in our case and she
handled
it very well. My son was unlikley to handle it well, being much
younger, so
he didn't go.

I wasn't sure that I'd be able to handle it

I'm glad I did

Dunno, really. In my own case the undertaker pushed it a bit, as being
a 'good idea', but none of the family, including me, were keen. I don't
have any regrets now, later. I was with my Dad when he died - maybe
that makes a difference? But even had I not been there I can't imagine
wanting to have gone to a viewing - don't know what it would have
achieved.

Each to his own, I suppose.

David

In message , Lobster
writes
geoff wrote:
In message , Tim S
writes
ARWadsworth coughed up some electrons that declared:

As an aside

Can anyone remember the last time that they saw an open coffin?

Are you talking about an open coffin, as in at a wake or funeral
service, though, where everyone 'pays their respects'? (not quite the
same thing as the posters below experience which I think is pretty
widespread practice)

When my father died, I took my 4 year old daughter to the undertakers to
say "goodbye Grandad", courtesy of an open coffin.

Not to everyone's taste, but it was a good thing in our case and she
handled
it very well. My son was unlikley to handle it well, being much
younger, so
he didn't go.

I wasn't sure that I'd be able to handle it
I'm glad I did

Dunno, really. In my own case the undertaker pushed it a bit, as being
a 'good idea', but none of the family, including me, were keen. I don't
have any regrets now, later. I was with my Dad when he died - maybe
that makes a difference? But even had I not been there I can't
imagine wanting to have gone to a viewing - don't know what it would
have achieved.

Each to his own, I suppose.

Having not seen him for about 4 months, and had a 4am phone call ...

I supposeit gave a sort of "closure", a final picture burned into the
memory

--
geoff

geoff wrote:
In message , Tim S
writes
Frank Erskine coughed up some electrons that declared:

What about a load of car body filler to secure you into it?


I'd like to be cremated with a *very* large can of expanding foam
secreted
away in the coffin.

At least my ghost will have a good laugh watching what that does to the
crematorium furnace

Ah - the Peter Parry send off ...

RAOTFLMAO

Please don't post things like that!

I'm off on a long drive in the morning, taking the g daughters back home
and I want to wear the same clothes until I get back, that I put on
after my shower tonight. Wet denim jeans show wet very well, even after
a nights sleap :-(

Dave

On Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:53:39 +0100 Geoff wrote :
Can anyone remember the last time that they saw an open coffin?

It is something that I have not seen for many years.

Yes- I "viewed" my father last year before the cremation

I think there's a distinction between a few close members of the
family viewing the deceased at the undertakers and an American style
'viewing' open to all and sundry or an open-coffin funeral.

--
Tony Bryer, 'Software to build on' from Greentram
www.superbeam.co.uk www.superbeam.com www.greentram.com

On Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:11:04 -0700 (PDT) Owain wrote :
Or you can get a cardboard coffin printed to your design on
a large format flatbed printer at creativecoffins.com

Back in the UK I went to an open day at Hanworth Crem. The guy
said that they really did not like cardboard coffins - the danger
is that as they are slid into the [already hot] cremator, they
catch light and the flames come back towards you at a rate of
knots. In the light of experience cardboard coffins are now
sprayed with water first.

Quite an interesting experience, and, no, they don't recycle the
coffins - would you want to be unscrewing the lid and manhandling
a 7-10 day old corpse for £50 or whatever the undertaker would
pay (less than the trade price and much much less than the
selling price).

--
Tony Bryer, 'Software to build on' from Greentram
www.superbeam.co.uk www.superbeam.com www.greentram.com

On Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:16:06 +0100, OG wrote:

"ARWadsworth" wrote in message
om...

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
Frank Erskine wrote:
On Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:13:22 -0700 (PDT), Tim Decker
had this to say:

I am interested whether any of the keen DIYers on the group have built
or considered building a coffin. I like to think I have a few years
left in me, but I thought it might be a good project, particularly
considering the horrendous prices charged by undertakers for a simple
wooden box, often with some appalling faux brass fitting, more worthy
of a cheap kids football trophy.
Any guidance on rules, regulations and other considerations would be
gratefully received.

I think there's a lot more than simply the wooden box. There's the
cost of collecting the corpse, laying it out (perhaps embalming it),
the shroud, transport, standing by during a service at a church and/or
crematorium, negotiations with graveyard owners if the body's to be
interred, and so on.

Of course; but a few months ago IIRC the itemised cost of MIL's coffin -
the cheapest on offer (and no, it wasn't me who chose it!) - was north of
400 quid. And just veneered chipboard or something. Total bill was IIRC
2400 quid, and I'm sure that had I produced a DIY coffin, then the 400
would not have been chargeable.

Especially for cremations, I don't know[1] why you can't just rent a
coffin TBH, by far the most eco-friendly and economical route. You could
have a flashy, polished outer which is used for the funeral, then when
Hector the Rector presses the button at the service and the coffin slides
away or the curtain closes, the crem staff out the back whip out the
deceased, enclosed in a sealed body-bag or cardboard liner or something,
and pop him/her into the oven. Outer goes back to the undertaker for the
next punter.

David

[1] Could it be related to the exhorbitant purchase price of a coffin,I
wonder?

I do not think that these can be beaten for value

http://www.funeralsearch.co.uk/cardboard-coffins.php#a3

It would do me.

A minister friend has experience of a funeral turning into very distressing
event for family and friends as a result of a cardboard coffin failure. I
know funerals are distressing anyway, but the body falling out of the coffin
made the whole thing much worse for everyone.

For that reason, they're usually handled through the proceedings inside a
temporary wooden coffin.

On Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:08:19 -0700 (PDT), Owain
wrote:

On 19 Aug, 21:09, "The Medway Handyman" wrote:
I'm surprised IKEA haven't made a flat pack coffin...
But what would they call it?
'ASTIFF' ?
'BRAUNBRED' ?
'KROAKED' ?

DARWIN

LAASBUS

On Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:13:22 -0700 (PDT)
Tim Decker wrote:

I am interested whether any of the keen DIYers on the group have built
or considered building a coffin. I like to think I have a few years
left in me, but I thought it might be a good project, particularly
considering the horrendous prices charged by undertakers for a simple
wooden box, often with some appalling faux brass fitting, more worthy
of a cheap kids football trophy.
Any guidance on rules, regulations and other considerations would be
gratefully received.
It will have to go on my list of projects to be done, somewhere after,
the window renovation, the pizza oven, the new bedroom cupboards, the
additional bathroom etc.
Regards
Tim


I made one for the old retriever in 1995. She was a big dog, about 5
stone, so it was quite a big job. I used OSB - not varnished or
otherwise preserved. And we planted it in a 6 foot hole, so the top was
about 5' down. No noticeable surface collapse yet.

On the other hand I help look after the local church, and we have lots
of collapsed graves (coffin shaped surface depression) that need to be
topped up every year before the mowing starts. Some of these graves are
less than 10 years old. So whatever the coffins were made of, it rots
fast!

R.

On Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:11:04 -0700 (PDT)
Owain wrote:

Unless someone can do a last-minute assembly from flat panels, don't
underestimate the storage space a coffin will take up. Unless you're
very goth you probably don't want it doubling up as a sideboard until
you need it.

Spare bed?

R.

The message
from Huge contains these words:


"Open casket" funerals are the norm in the USA, still.

Yes. Embalmed. Stuffed and padded and made up to look better than in
real life. Propped up into a sitting position in the casket with the
upper portion of the lid separately hinged open. Brand-new clothes,
too, very often. And glasses on the end of its nose, if worn in life.
Enter appropriate room in funeral home during visiting hours. Admire
corpse. Shake hands with long row of extended family sitting on chairs.
Exit room. Sign guest book.


When my father
died there 5 years ago, the Americans were all astonished that we weren't
having a "viewing". The funeral director was quite insistent that we should
have one - and we were even more insistent that we weren't.

It's considered the ultimate disgrace in the USA not to have an open
casket. If the casket is closed it's assumed the body is in such a mess
that it can't be made to look acceptable and that it must be dreadfully
and hideously ravaged by disease or car accident.

The message
from Lobster contains these words:


Especially for cremations, I don't know[1] why you can't just rent a
coffin TBH, by far the most eco-friendly and economical route. You
could have a flashy, polished outer which is used for the funeral, then
when Hector the Rector presses the button at the service and the coffin
slides away or the curtain closes, the crem staff out the back whip out
the deceased, enclosed in a sealed body-bag or cardboard liner or
something, and pop him/her into the oven. Outer goes back to the
undertaker for the next punter.


You can certainly do that in North America. Casket has an inner "orange
box" to contain the corpse. Said box lifts out at the crematorium and
casket is returned to the funeral home to be re-equipped with a new
"orange box" for the next occupant. Remember, though, that their
caskets are considerably larger than our coffins.

Incidentally, in case you didn't know, it's normal practice in North
America -- where, in my experience, cremations are much less common than
in the UK, to bury only one deep and to put the casket into a rough box
(packing-crate affair) which is placed inside the hole in the ground.
And in my experience, coast to coast, I don't think I ever saw a casket
lowered into the grave. They were normally left above the grave on a
winding frame. In winter, in colder parts of North America, they didn't
bother with actual interments in winter -- just kept the remains in
storage until the spring. Urban folklore has it that bodies are
frequently tipped out of the caskets and put into the rough box lining
the grave, with the casket being resold.

For a further twist, in this neck of the woods (in the UK) coffins
weren't required locally until after a major cholera epidemic in the
1830s and then only because it was feared that the communal winding
sheet was spreading the cholera as it was recycled from one corpse to
the next!

The message
from Huge contains these words:

On 2009-08-20, Appin wrote:
The message
from Huge contains these words:


"Open casket" funerals are the norm in the USA, still.

Yes. Embalmed. Stuffed and padded and made up to look better than in
real life. Propped up into a sitting position in the casket with the
upper portion of the lid separately hinged open. Brand-new clothes,
too, very often. And glasses on the end of its nose, if worn in life.

Hideous.

Enter appropriate room in funeral home during visiting hours. Admire
corpse. Shake hands with long row of extended family sitting on chairs.
Exit room. Sign guest book.


When my father
died there 5 years ago, the Americans were all astonished that we weren't
having a "viewing". The funeral director was quite insistent that
we should
have one - and we were even more insistent that we weren't.

It's considered the ultimate disgrace in the USA not to have an open
casket.

Unusual, but hardly "the ultimate disgrace".

If the casket is closed it's assumed the body is in such a mess
that it can't be made to look acceptable and that it must be dreadfully
and hideously ravaged by disease or car accident.

There was no casket. He was cremated in a cardboard coffin. We all think
that once someone is dead, what's left is rotting meat and there is no
point in venerating rotting meat. We had a memorial service, sans remains.

I'm neither defending the American practice nor acting as a proponent of
it. Merely trying to give an indication of what generally takes place.
"And it's a closed casket!" tends to be a piece of gossip that goes
round, uttered in hushed tones with an air of speculation as to the
reason why. For myself I can see no reason that I would want to have a
coffin open.

When I first went to North America I was warned that if an older woman
might ask "Would you like to see a picture of my husband?" I shouldn't
be shocked if the picture produced showed him in his casket. I thought
it was a crazy warning, but within one week it actually happened! I
believe in Florida it's quite common to have the walls of one's best
room decorated by "life"-size photos of the ancestors in their caskets.
I'd prefer to refer to them as "death-size," but that's not quite my
idea of desirable interior decor. However, tastes vary!

Appin wrote:

When I first went to North America I was warned that if an older woman
might ask "Would you like to see a picture of my husband?" I shouldn't
be shocked if the picture produced showed him in his casket. I thought
it was a crazy warning, but within one week it actually happened! I
believe in Florida it's quite common to have the walls of one's best
room decorated by "life"-size photos of the ancestors in their caskets.
I'd prefer to refer to them as "death-size," but that's not quite my
idea of desirable interior decor. However, tastes vary!

Holy moley. Talk about two nations divided by a common language...

Owain wrote:
On 20 Aug, 10:16, Appin wrote:
"Open casket" funerals are the norm in the USA, still.
Yes. Embalmed.

Funeral director's profit.

Stuffed and padded and made up to look better than in
real life.

Funeral director's profit.

When he was pushing us to come and view MIL, the funeral director
described all this as "hygenic treatment", which involved a 3-figure sum
AFAICR. Of all the euphemisms I'd heard that day, I thought that one
took the biscuit.

David

On Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:50:18 +0000, Huge wrote:

On 2009-08-20, Appin wrote:
The message
from Huge contains these words:


"Open casket" funerals are the norm in the USA, still.

Yes. Embalmed. Stuffed and padded and made up to look better than in
real life. Propped up into a sitting position in the casket with the
upper portion of the lid separately hinged open. Brand-new clothes,
too, very often. And glasses on the end of its nose, if worn in life.

Hideous.

Agreed. The guy I knew was in his early 20's and not the sort to be
dressed up in a suite and wearing make-up. It all seemed rather over the
top, and personally more distressing than the actual act of his passing.

In article ,
Lobster writes:

When he was pushing us to come and view MIL, the funeral director
described all this as "hygenic treatment", which involved a 3-figure sum
AFAICR. Of all the euphemisms I'd heard that day, I thought that one
took the biscuit.

Apparently, when not done properly, you can have a situation where
the family are all gathered around dear old uncle bertie on display
in his coffin, and can become quite distressed when uncle bertie
suddenly lets out a fart. A long time ago, I saw a programme about
embalming, and it was said that 100 or more years back, this was not
uncommon with cheap funerals for the poor.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
Lobster writes:
When he was pushing us to come and view MIL, the funeral director
described all this as "hygenic treatment", which involved a 3-figure sum
AFAICR. Of all the euphemisms I'd heard that day, I thought that one
took the biscuit.

Apparently, when not done properly, you can have a situation where
the family are all gathered around dear old uncle bertie on display
in his coffin, and can become quite distressed when uncle bertie
suddenly lets out a fart. A long time ago, I saw a programme about
embalming, and it was said that 100 or more years back, this was not
uncommon with cheap funerals for the poor.

Would have thought a pressure-relief valve (a Bic biro up the bum?) is
all that would have been required to sort out that problem. Then again
I suppose there's probably liquids involved too.

Reminds me of when SWMBO, as a newly-qualified medic, was called to the
ward to certify that a terminal patient had died. After the requisite
amount of poking, prodding and whatever else is required to ascertain
that death had indeed occurred, she stood up to confirm this to the
relatives at the bedside. At that point, the deceased let out an
almighty bellow as his last breath was released, apparently causing all
present (including SWMBO) to become elevated several inches off the floor.

David

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
geoff wrote:
In message , Tim S
writes
ARWadsworth coughed up some electrons that declared:

As an aside

Can anyone remember the last time that they saw an open coffin?

Are you talking about an open coffin, as in at a wake or funeral service,
though, where everyone 'pays their respects'? (not quite the same thing
as the posters below experience which I think is pretty widespread
practice)

A bit of both really. As a small child I do remember a wake that was open
coffin. It was quite wierd. It was my great aunty who had died and suspect
that her funeral wishes were followed to the letter. I remember everyone
having to walk through the house and the coffin was in the lounge. A very
different situation to Tims personal choice to have a private viewing
(below).

When my father died, I took my 4 year old daughter to the undertakers to
say "goodbye Grandad", courtesy of an open coffin.

Not to everyone's taste, but it was a good thing in our case and she
handled
it very well. My son was unlikley to handle it well, being much younger,
so
he didn't go.

I wasn't sure that I'd be able to handle it

I'm glad I did

Dunno, really. In my own case the undertaker pushed it a bit, as being a
'good idea', but none of the family, including me, were keen. I don't
have any regrets now, later. I was with my Dad when he died - maybe that
makes a difference? But even had I not been there I can't imagine
wanting to have gone to a viewing - don't know what it would have
achieved.

Each to his own, I suppose.

I have never gone to a viewing. It is my personal choice. Each to their own.


David

Adam

On 20 Aug, 15:16, Lobster wrote:

Would have thought a pressure-relief valve (a Bic biro up the bum?) is
all that would have been required to sort out that problem. *

Frangible filler (squashy bag stuffing) Otherwise any sort of "vent"
has some obvious problems

Then again
I suppose there's probably liquids involved too.

Yes.



At that point, the deceased let out an
almighty bellow as his last breath was released,

My favourite version of that was from an old sailor with many tales of
death & dismemberment on the high seas. He'd once had a passenger die
on board, necessitating the body to be carried quietly ashore down the
gangplank, wrapped in a sheet.

As the body hinged between the two sailors carrying it, the air was
forcecd out with a deep mournful groan...

At which point, the other matelot screamed, dropped their end of the
body and took a jump clean over the gangplank and into the water.

On Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:07:59 UTC, Tim S wrote:

Frank Erskine coughed up some electrons that declared:

What about a load of car body filler to secure you into it?


I'd like to be cremated with a *very* large can of expanding foam secreted
away in the coffin.

At least my ghost will have a good laugh watching what that does to the
crematorium furnace

But not for a burial at sea...!
--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

coughed up some electrons that declared:

On Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:03:08 +0100, Tim S wrote:

ARWadsworth coughed up some electrons that declared:

As an aside

Can anyone remember the last time that they saw an open coffin?

.

Adam

When my father died, I took my 4 year old daughter to the undertakers to
say "goodbye Grandad", courtesy of an open coffin.

Not to everyone's taste, but it was a good thing in our case and she
handled it very well. My son was unlikley to handle it well, being much
younger, so he didn't go.

Cheers

Tim

My Grandmother who departed herself long ago never got over the
experience of visiting Her Grandmother in her coffin. A young child
at the time she was forced to kiss Granny one last time on the
forehead by pushy relatives.

G.Harman

I asked mine and she wanted to go - certainly wouldn't have pushed her.

She knew what she was doing and even picked some flowers of her own
volition.

But I agree, being forced into these things could do more harm than good.

Cheers

Tim

Tim S wrote:
coughed up some electrons that declared:

On Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:03:08 +0100, Tim S wrote:

ARWadsworth coughed up some electrons that declared:
Can anyone remember the last time that they saw an open coffin?

When my father died, I took my 4 year old daughter to the undertakers to
say "goodbye Grandad", courtesy of an open coffin.

Not to everyone's taste, but it was a good thing in our case and she
handled it very well. My son was unlikley to handle it well, being much
younger, so he didn't go.
My Grandmother who departed herself long ago never got over the
experience of visiting Her Grandmother in her coffin. A young child
at the time she was forced to kiss Granny one last time on the
forehead by pushy relatives.

I asked mine and she wanted to go - certainly wouldn't have pushed her.

She knew what she was doing and even picked some flowers of her own
volition.

But I agree, being forced into these things could do more harm than good.

Maybe not the case with your youngsters; but persoinally I can't help
feeling that when very young kids are involved, with the best of
intentions, their natural feelings of morbid curiosity surpass other
emotions when deciding these things. In the end we didn't take up the
undertaker's offer ourselves, or offer our kids the opportunity.

David

The message
from Owain contains these words:

On 20 Aug, 10:16, Appin wrote:
"Open casket" funerals are the norm in the USA, still.
Yes. *Embalmed. *

Funeral director's profit.

Stuffed and padded and made up to look better than in
real life.


Funeral director's profit.

*Propped up into a sitting position in the casket with the
upper portion of the lid separately hinged open. *

Funeral director's profit.

Brand-new clothes, too, very often. *

Funeral director's profit.

And glasses on the end of its nose, if worn in life.

Funeral director's profit.

Enter appropriate room *in funeral home during visiting hours. Admire
corpse. *Shake hands with long row of extended family sitting on chairs..
*Exit room. *Sign guest book.

Funeral director's profit.

Owain

Yes, of course.

Though the online guest books normal in North America are actually a
good thing, as indeed are the guest books at visiting hours.

The message
from Huge contains these words:


If my posting came over as an attack on you, I apologise. I was merely
trying to convey my experience. (My parents have lived in the US for
30 years and I have visited many, many times.)

No, it didn't come over as an attack on me. In any case, I've no
quarrel with my views being attacked. supposing you had been attacking
them. An attack on one's views is very different from an attack on
one's person :-). And the experience of different people differs.
I've been to hundreds of funerals in the US and Canada and have a large
folder full of permits for funerals I've actually conducted myself
across North America.

The message
from "ARWadsworth" contains these words:


"Lobster" wrote in message
...
geoff wrote:
In message , Tim S
writes
ARWadsworth coughed up some electrons that declared:

As an aside

Can anyone remember the last time that they saw an open coffin?

Are you talking about an open coffin, as in at a wake or funeral service,
though, where everyone 'pays their respects'? (not quite the same thing
as the posters below experience which I think is pretty widespread
practice)

A bit of both really. As a small child I do remember a wake that was open
coffin. It was quite wierd. It was my great aunty who had died and suspect
that her funeral wishes were followed to the letter. I remember everyone
having to walk through the house and the coffin was in the lounge. A very
different situation to Tims personal choice to have a private viewing

A whole lot less disconcerting than viewing the dear departed in the bed
they've just died in, I can assure you -- and that's happened to me more
than once !



I have never gone to a viewing. It is my personal choice. Each to their own.

Easier to avoid in the UK than in North America.

The message
from Tim S contains these words:


I asked mine and she wanted to go - certainly wouldn't have pushed her.

She knew what she was doing and even picked some flowers of her own
volition.

But I agree, being forced into these things could do more harm than good.


Whether or not one lets kids view the remains (and in my view they're in
the main not at all as squeamish as most adults and are generally very
matter-of-fact about such things) I think it's a bit strange to exclude
them from the funeral. The reality of the funeral may be dreadful, but
the reality of being excluded from it is far worse, IMHO.

ARWadsworth wrote:

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
geoff wrote:
In message , Tim S
writes
ARWadsworth coughed up some electrons that declared:

As an aside

Can anyone remember the last time that they saw an open coffin?

Are you talking about an open coffin, as in at a wake or funeral
service, though, where everyone 'pays their respects'? (not quite the
same thing as the posters below experience which I think is pretty
widespread practice)

A bit of both really. As a small child I do remember a wake that was
open coffin. It was quite wierd. It was my great aunty who had died and
suspect that her funeral wishes were followed to the letter. I remember
everyone having to walk through the house and the coffin was in the
lounge. A very different situation to Tims personal choice to have a
private viewing (below).

When my father died, I took my 4 year old daughter to the
undertakers to
say "goodbye Grandad", courtesy of an open coffin.

Not to everyone's taste, but it was a good thing in our case and she
handled
it very well. My son was unlikley to handle it well, being much
younger, so
he didn't go.

I wasn't sure that I'd be able to handle it

I'm glad I did

Dunno, really. In my own case the undertaker pushed it a bit, as
being a 'good idea', but none of the family, including me, were keen.
I don't have any regrets now, later. I was with my Dad when he died -
maybe that makes a difference? But even had I not been there I can't
imagine wanting to have gone to a viewing - don't know what it would
have achieved.

Each to his own, I suppose.

I have never gone to a viewing. It is my personal choice. Each to their
own.


David

Adam

I only recently found out the following. My father died when I was quite
young. The coffin was in the front room of his parents' house. My mother
was taken in to view him, not that she wanted to - and his sister
started pulling him up so his PM 'scars' could be shown off. (She always
was an odd sort of a person.)

It was my mother's worst fear for a few hours that my aunt would take me
in as well.

--
Rod

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "R" saying
something like:

My cousin (Ex Co-Op hearse driver) suggests that this is the norm anyway.
Many of the expensive versions are reclaimed by the undertakers and removed
out of sight in the lower section of the hearse when they leave the
premises.

That lower section is handy for all sorts of things.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "OG"
saying something like:


A minister friend has experience of a funeral turning into very distressing
event for family and friends as a result of a cardboard coffin failure. I
know funerals are distressing anyway, but the body falling out of the coffin
made the whole thing much worse for everyone.

If I wasn't dead at the time, I'd laugh like ****.

"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote in message
...
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "OG"
saying something like:


A minister friend has experience of a funeral turning into very
distressing
event for family and friends as a result of a cardboard coffin failure. I
know funerals are distressing anyway, but the body falling out of the
coffin
made the whole thing much worse for everyone.

If I wasn't dead at the time, I'd laugh like ****.

So would I.

Adam

ARWadsworth wrote:
"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote
I remember "OG" saying something like:

cardboard coffin failure. I know funerals are distressing anyway,
but the body falling out of the coffin made the whole thing much
worse for everyone.

If I wasn't dead at the time, I'd laugh like ****.

So would I.

It's not quite a collapsing coffin, but my granny's funeral stank of
cow**** as the farmer next door to the church chose that afternoon to
clean out his sheds. The general consensus was that granny would have
found this highly amusing.

Pete

In article ,
Pete Verdon d writes:
ARWadsworth wrote:
"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote
I remember "OG" saying something like:

cardboard coffin failure. I know funerals are distressing anyway,
but the body falling out of the coffin made the whole thing much
worse for everyone.

If I wasn't dead at the time, I'd laugh like ****.

So would I.

It's not quite a collapsing coffin, but my granny's funeral stank of
cow**** as the farmer next door to the church chose that afternoon to
clean out his sheds. The general consensus was that granny would have
found this highly amusing.

I've been to a couple of funerals where someone was playing some
very well know pieces of music incredibly badly on the organ,
sufficiently so that the audience all started looking around at
each other in disbelief. At one of them, when the music finished,
this ghostly figure emerged from the organ console and slowly
walked up the isle with a zimmer frame. The whole audience had
to look down at the floor and try really hard not to burst out
laughing -- a sea of shoulders bouncing in silent laughter.
Afterwards, we were sure the deceased, who was a musician, was
having a laugh with us from up there somewhere.

Another occasion, a friend who was a distant relative of the
deceased and is herself a cellist, offered to play a solo
piece at the crematorium. Sitting up front, she went through
her solo fine. Later in the service, one of the speakers
introduced another piece of music which was apparently one of
the favourates of the deceased, and the mourners sat in silence
listening to "Smoke gets in your eyes", which she thought was
a bizzare choice at a chrematorium, but she didn't know the
deceased very well. Afterwards, outside a row broke out.
It turns out, they played the wrong side of the record.
She never did find out what was supposed to be played, but
apparently "Smoke gets in your eyes" is a not infrequent
request and the staff were quite used to digging out that LP.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On 28 Aug, 08:51, (Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

apparently "Smoke gets in your eyes" is a not infrequent
request

Search out Sandy Dillon's "Into the flame"

Andy Dingley wrote:
On 28 Aug, 08:51, (Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

apparently "Smoke gets in your eyes" is a not infrequent
request

Search out Sandy Dillon's "Into the flame"

Not forgetting "Light my fire" by The Doors.

Tim

The message

from Owain contains these words:

On 21 Aug, 01:12, Appin wrote:
Though the online guest books normal in North America are actually a
good thing, as indeed are the guest books at visiting hours.

Have they invented casketcams yet?

No idea -- haven't been to a funeral there for a few years :-)
Cemeteries with electric hookups next? :-)

On 19 Aug, 09:13, Tim Decker wrote:
I am interested whether any of the keen DIYers on the group have built
or considered building a coffin. I like to think I have a few years
left in me, but I thought it might be a good project, particularly
considering the horrendous prices charged by undertakers for a simple
wooden box, often with some appalling faux brass fitting, more worthy
of a cheap kids football trophy.
Any guidance on rules, regulations and other considerations would be
gratefully received.
It will have to go on my list of projects to be done, somewhere after,
the window renovation, the pizza oven, the new bedroom cupboards, the
additional bathroom etc.
Regards
Tim

Somewhere in this thread there was a mention of basketwork coffins -
now as is always the way no doubt because I haven't re-read the
threads, this website has already been mentioned.

But here goes anyway - I was looking at this website as my wife has
just bought something from these people in the Edinburgh Festival -
and lo and behold they do basketwork coffins

http://www.all-about-willow.co.uk/content/coffins/2178/

Rob