Funerals

[killer_asian_Dax]

I've never heard of a 'Green Funeral.'

Are they a recent thing? Or has it been around for some time? Are the expenses any more or less compared to a 'traditional' funeral (cremation or burrial)?

[MollyMac]

Gawd...

In the last two years alone it seemed like at least one a month, but it wasn't that many.

My baby brother shot himself and lingered for 5 days (Don't do drugs, kids)- dying on the same day my garndfather succumbed to pneumonia. 2 funerals.

My neice was stillborn- saddest funeral I have ever been to

An ex-boyfriend died from being stabbed in the chest with a screwdriver- another funeral (He had three babies and was about to marry my old cheerleading friend).

I went to two funerals for local cops and one for a local Marine, all of whom were killed in the line of duty. I knew the Marine as an acquaintence, but I try to go whenever a cop is killed in the line of duty as a show of support for my friends in blue.

A coworker died of heart failure. At work. Talk about awkward. Funny funeral, though. He was a nut to the end.

A former co-worker died, lupus related, I think. Another funeral.

There were 4 or 5 more, but it was less being there for the deceased, and more being there for a friend of the deceased/being the driver for some who could not drive themselves.

[DarkHeartedDemoness]

Originally Posted by killer_asian_Dax

I've never heard of a 'Green Funeral.'

Are they a recent thing? Or has it been around for some time? Are the expenses any more or less compared to a 'traditional' funeral (cremation or burrial)?

So, I actually heard about it through Six Feet Under, the TV show... And I'm not really sure how cost-effective it is. It doesn't seem like it would be expensive-- I mean, you don't have any chemicals in you and you get buried in a cardboard box.

[Delicate_Torture]

I've literally been to hundreds as I often go to the funerals of patients I've cared for while they were dying as a sort of bridging support mechanism between that persons last days and their death for the family.

I've also been to various relatives funerals and a LOT of friends... I lived in Sydney, Australia (second largest gay population in the world next to SF.) and was very active in the gay community during the early 90's. I've been to way way too many friends funerals who died from HIV/AIDS and a large number who died from suicide... I'm also active in the mental health community here.

[Haunted House]

I don't know how many I've been to, but the first one was my mothers when I was five (don't be concerned, anyone. It was a while ago). The most recent was a friend's father who died of a stroke.

When I die, I want to be driven to a nice, out of the way cemetery in my own hearse (that I will own someday. Hah.), buried deathhawk up in my leather jacket, fishnets, and make-up in a coffin I build myself. Maybe in a masolium. I know it sounds cheesy, but it'd be cool. Then a future deathrocker will accidently stumble upon my coffin during a cemetery-party celebrating the aniversary of the opening of the BatCave, and open it, taking my leather jacket as the ultimate treasure and upon wearing it, it fuses to his skin turning him into a zombie and starts an outbreak. It's up to his friends to stop the zombies and get their friend back.
"Return of the Living Dead 6: Zombie-Rocker's Revenge" in theaters this summer.

Don't ask. Hahaha.

[Mir]

The last funeral that actually made me sad and teary eyed was the one for my cat, a good long while ago. Me and my family stood around, reminisced, said a few words and gave it a nice little burial. The cat died of pneumonia. =(

Been to a couple since (for people) and those I only went to for the free food.

[Crying_Crimson_Tears]

I have never been to a funeral. I have had only 2 people sort of close to me die. And 4 pets have died.

My father did not think I had to go to my step-grandfather's because he was not blood related and he thought I was too young.

And my grandma who I was not very close to because she lived very far away died because of her health. Her heart was failing. She was very obese, and she smoked a lot. When I saw her last a few years ago she did a lot of smoking. My grandfather decided to have her cremated and he did not have a funeral or a memorial.

[Vyusher]

Actually, birth is the root cause of deaths. Let us rebel against this unwise act, my fellows. To arms in irritating, self-righteous crusade! Let us stop all from being born so that we may avert the death that always, literally always, follows it. It is the root cause of all human death, pain, and sorrow. Compared to it, cigarettes or booze are petty.
Let us smash this corrupt institution!

[Crying_Crimson_Tears]

Originally Posted by DarkHeartedDemoness

So, I actually heard about it through Six Feet Under, the TV show... And I'm not really sure how cost-effective it is. It doesn't seem like it would be expensive-- I mean, you don't have any chemicals in you and you get buried in a cardboard box.

I love Six Feet Under.

That show helps my drive for wanting to become a mortician.

[Pyre]

Actually, I attended a funeral today. I missed two classes in school because of it, but they were excused as so many students and even some teachers were there to attend. The funeral was for a girl who graduated two years ago, and go into an accident Dec. 14th or so. She was in ICU for about 3 months, and died Sunday around 6 or 6:30 PM. I marched with her in band for three years, and she was one of the most wonderful people we ever had: always nice, always willing to help, and always laughing about something. It is a very tragic thing. The funeral itself, however, was terrible -- I don't mean that it was really sad and heart breaking, but that the two guys who spoke barely spoke of her and her life, but more about her place in Heaven. I felt as if I were attending a church service, and I had to struggle really hard to stay awake (and I started seeing fish in the patterns of the pews >_>).
In fact, yesterday I attended her viewing, and that was the first time in almost my nineteen year existence that I have seen a dead body. Not only that, but she was so young, and someone that I knew. I could hardly look, and I was trying not to bawl like a baby.

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

I've been to two, both when I was about 13 or 14, and both were for great grandparents on my Dad's side. My Great-Grandma died of old age/Alzheimer's, and my Great-Grandpa died of old age. They were both around 93 or 95 when they kicked, so they'd had a long life. They spent 6 months in Canada and 6 months in Texas every year up until they were about 88 or 90 or something. I was pretty bored at both funerals because I wasn't close to either of them.

As for my own funeral, I want a Viking funeral. I want a boat with the Viking style front on it. It can be as simple as a wooden dinghy with a cardboard thing on the front, but anyway. And I want coins on my eyes. I have a couple pennies saved just for the Ferryman.

[Pyre]

Originally Posted by LaBelleDameSansMerci

I've been to two, both when I was about 13 or 14, and both were for great grandparents on my Dad's side. My Great-Grandma died of old age/Alzheimer's, and my Great-Grandpa died of old age. They were both around 93 or 95 when they kicked, so they'd had a long life. They spent 6 months in Canada and 6 months in Texas every year up until they were about 88 or 90 or something. I was pretty bored at both funerals because I wasn't close to either of them.

As for my own funeral, I want a Viking funeral. I want a boat with the Viking style front on it. It can be as simple as a wooden dinghy with a cardboard thing on the front, but anyway. And I want coins on my eyes. I have a couple pennies saved just for the Ferryman.

I want a Viking funeral, too :[ If not, throw my body out somewhere or cremate me. I simply don't want a burial. I abhor common burials. . .

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

If people insist on giving me a common burial, I want it to be in a heavily forested cemetery. One of those dark, dank ones with a mix of tall, fragrant evergreens and massive deciduous trees. The tombstones would ideally be old and mossy, some broken and falling over. Or right beside a really old, semi-ruined forest chapel. I love chapels in the middle of forests.
Maybe I'll sculpt my own tombstone when (if) I can do well enough in stone sculpture. No idea what I'd put on it... Maybe a harpy, or a person with dragon wings. They'd be holding a paintbrush, and/or a sculpture tool. If it was the harpy, it would be pinning a pallet to the block-part.
K, maybe I do have an idea of what I'd put on it...

[badteccy]

My last funeral was my grandmoms. God, I miss her.
I want to be cremated and at the memorial service/funeral I want it to be a party with awesome goth/deathrock songs. I want people to celebrate my life, not just mourn the loss.

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

Just for cheek factor, I want people to play at least part of Flama Flama (Fire requiem by Nicholas Lens. Very weird, but definitely worth checking out). And Nightwish and Killing Joke and Gossamer. And others.

[luna-]

My first funeral was my uncle's, I believe I was 5 or 6 years old. He had a heart attack, and I loved him dearly... but I can't recall the funeral itself.

Then, my great grandmother, when I was 10. She had Alzheimer's and lived in an asylum, and thought I was her little girl (my aunt, actually). She was pretty scary due to dementia, and died of old age. The funeral as I recall it was boring and I got sunburnt, but I got to play in the graveyard XD.

More recently, in 2004, one of my best friends commited suicide. Oh boy did I cry on his funeral... on friday he went to my house and we watched the Nightmare Before Christmas together because he hadn't seen it, then played some videogames, and watched his Apocalyptica dvd. He killed himself on wednesday, august 9 (16 years old, his seventeenth birthday was on september 17).

Then, just last year, a 17 years old girl friend had a baby. The baby was born with intestinal problems, and died in about a month. I was sad for my friend, because she is basically a failure at life and her dream was to have a baby. It happened around july. The funeral was awful, the priest kept talking about stupid things that made the parents look as if their were guilty of the baby's death... That only made them feel worse.
She's already pregnant again.

And, november 11, 2006, my grandfather died. That basically destroyed whatever relationship existed between my father and his mother, and some of my uncles. The service was beautiful, a lot of people attended because my grandfather was an important man, and I just couldn't cry. I felt really sad, but no tears came.

[HumanePain]

Originally Posted by Haunted House

When I die, I want to be driven to a nice, out of the way cemetery in my own hearse (that I will own someday. Hah.), buried deathhawk up in my leather jacket, fishnets, and make-up in a coffin I build myself. Maybe in a masolium. I know it sounds cheesy, but it'd be cool. Then a future deathrocker will accidently stumble upon my coffin during a cemetery-party celebrating the aniversary of the opening of the BatCave, and open it, taking my leather jacket as the ultimate treasure and upon wearing it, it fuses to his skin turning him into a zombie and starts an outbreak. It's up to his friends to stop the zombies and get their friend back.
"Return of the Living Dead 6: Zombie-Rocker's Revenge" in theaters this summer.

That is awesome! I can hear the future deathrocker now, smiling as he says:
"heh! You like it? I stole it off a dead guy!"

[Godslayer Jillian]

I don't remember how many funerals I have gone to, but I feel guilty in admitting that I have never been sad in them.
Oh, wait, there was one where I got sad; but it's because I said to myself that I should be sad. Once I felt the obligation was accomplished, I moved on.
Yeah yeah, I'm dead on the inside, that just makes me gothier than thou.

[republigoth]

I've been to 3:

My cousin whoes liver was punctured all the way through by a metal post of some sort in a car crash. She left 2 small children behind. Her mom is sueing for custody.

My grandfather, whoes home I lived at half the time growing up.

My other grandfather, whom I didn't know very well and thought was creepy.

All three times multiple people were upset with me because I wasn't upset at all. Even my grandfather I grew up with - nothing. As a goth, I would assume my instinct would be to languish in the tragidy of it all, but I felt nothing. Death doesn't make me feel.

I think it's just too big to truely comprehend. It's too permanent. It's like feeling pain that the sun will eventually expand into a Red Giant, consuming the earth in a few billion years.

Maybe I'm just emotionally mutated.

[killer_asian_Dax]

Originally Posted by Godslayer Jillian

I don't remember how many funerals I have gone to, but I feel guilty in admitting that I have never been sad in them.
Oh, wait, there was one where I got sad; but it's because I said to myself that I should be sad. Once I felt the obligation was accomplished, I moved on.
Yeah yeah, I'm dead on the inside, that just makes me gothier than thou.

At least you didn't laugh. I know it was really fucked up to laugh at the funerals I've been to, but at least I excused myself and made it to my car instead of busting out in the back of the congregation.

I don't exactly think you're dead on the inside. Perhaps you just realise not to waste your time with something that's out of your control and a natural part of life anyways. But I could be wrong. Tell me oh gothy one! Am I wrong?

Death- we ALL have it coming.

[655322]

I've been to three.
My grandfather: died of cancer in his 80's, smoking related.
My brother: suicide when he was 23.
My best friends brother: OD when he was 21.

I went to the viewing of my best friends brother, but I never went and saw my brother in his casket. I couldn't bring myself to do it. But looking back I think I should have. Seeing him dead could possibly have made me come to terms with his death more quickly.

[HumanePain]

Originally Posted by 655322

I went to the viewing of my best friends brother, but I never went and saw my brother in his casket. I couldn't bring myself to do it. But looking back I think I should have. Seeing him dead could possibly have made me come to terms with his death more quickly.

When I go to an open casket service and see the deceased, I realize I am only looking at a shell. I get a feeling of just knowing that the person I knew is not "in there", and what remains is what was cast off, like an empty chrysalis.

[Underwater Ophelia]

I don't really go to funerals. I've had several people die in my family, but I just can't bring myself to go to a funeral.
I think someone else said it, but I also want to rot. I don't want to be embalmed, I don't want to be clothed, unless it's pure cotton or something, and I don't want any fancy casket. I want to rot, and go back to the earth.