The cheap casket is fine. Really. A low-end metal casket at a funeral home might cost around $1000 or slightly less. It will do the job, and most likely, at the service, the appearance of the casket will go unnoticed. People will remember the color, was it open or closed, and how well the body,…

I will make this a feature on the blog, rather than personally responding to questions by email (unless the one who asked the question prefers I do not). “What if spouse wants to be cremated, but adult children want burial and refuse to sign off? If burial is not within financial means, are there other…

Similar to my previous post, Autopsy Explained, here are several things you need to know about cremation and arranging a cremation for someone. As a professional, I have learned it is impossible to dumb things down too much. Certain things which seem obvious to me – such as “cremation is irreversible” and “cremated remains are…

Where did you last see it? Retrace your steps. One of my employees called me today to tell me that the airline lost the body. It was shipped to a city that was an 8-hour drive from its intended destination. The funeral home in the wrong city then charged the pissed-off family to re-ship it…

I remember one staff meeting a few years ago where we were discussing a funeral home on the other side of the country which was being investigated for improper treatment of human remains. Bodies were stacked in the garage, without refrigeration, and burials which were supposed to be conducted within 24 hours were actually put…