Funerals in 2023 are more than your ordinary black attire services. According to Funeral One, the “Baby Boomers see funerals as a “crowning” performance and that means you’ve got to set the stage for them to celebrate life.” Funeral Director and Writer, Thomas Lynch, once wrote, “a good funeral gets the dead where they need to go and the living where they need to be.” Funerals today are more interactive and far from your ordinary funerals that we are accustomed to. These interactive funerals allow families to feel more involved in the celebration of their loved one’s life. The healing process begins sooner when you allow families and friends to engage in the services.
Great examples of interactive funerals are memorial stone stations, where family and friends can write their names and a small message to honor their loved one. These stones can be used to help the family heal as well as they can place the stones in a garden or somewhere close to them in their home. From Lego caskets for kids to adding Band-Aids to a nurse’s casket to commemorate her life and service to her patients, themed funerals are growing every day. And the decorating of caskets is just the tip of the iceberg.
Themed funerals have become more popular in 2023; in Townville, SC people arrived dressed in superhero costumes to Jacob’s funeral. According to Fox News, Jacob’s family had a blue casket decorated with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle stickers and a bright floral spray on top included large Ninja turtles and Captain America figurines. A man dressed as Batman led a prayer rally in memory of the six-year-old, Jacob Hall. Friends and family were all able to engage in this themed funeral, again opening the doors to healing and commemoration Jacob’s life.
TLC’s reality series “Best Funeral Ever” in January 2013, reported on the death of a man who loved the holiday season which was inspired by a Christmas-themed funeral featuring dancing, reindeer, snow, and a coffin on a sleigh, in Dallas, TX . These types of funerals can turn into an entire production with rehearsals and actors which are usually family and friends. Themed funerals help the healing process for those in mourning.
More people are asking to be life-like posed at their funerals. “In April, Mickey Easterling, a New Orleans socialite who passed away at the age of 83, was celebrated one last time at a grand memorial service, where the flamboyant philanthropist wore a pink feather boa and held a glass of champagne.” Themed funerals are the focus of the person’s life; they showcase what made them most happy and sometimes that might mean having a superhero themed funeral or a New Orleans style celebration.
To learn more about themed funerals contact our caring professionals, they are happy to provide you with additional information on planning your funeral.