Ask a mortician
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bump* cause this threat is great!0
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This is a great thread. I'm an archaeologist in the UK and have excavated lots of human remains (from Roman through to Victorian), we get the occasional cremation too, so it's interesting to read things from a different perspective! We can have a Victorian skeleton (~100 years old) who is completely decayed and a prehistoric skeleton (~3000 years old) with part of the brain still intact (true story; I know the guy that excavated it and it made headlines)!
My mum died in 2010 when I was 19 and it was traumatic for me. The people at the funeral home made everything so much easier for us and whoever embalmed my mum and did her make-up did an amazing job. Luckily she had a very peaceful expression on her face (the last time I saw her was with her mouth wide open and lots of gargling as gasses and things escaped her mouth) just after I watched her die.
I have to say thank you for this thread @LittleHearseDriver and the job you do because it impacts the families and friends in more ways than the practical side of your job.15 -
LittleHearseDriver wrote: »
I'm not sure, really, probably removals. I'm not a people person.0 -
This is a great thread. I'm an archaeologist in the UK and have excavated lots of human remains (from Roman through to Victorian), we get the occasional cremation too, so it's interesting to read things from a different perspective! We can have a Victorian skeleton (~100 years old) who is completely decayed and a prehistoric skeleton (~3000 years old) with part of the brain still intact (true story; I know the guy that excavated it and it made headlines)!
My mum died in 2010 when I was 19 and it was traumatic for me. The people at the funeral home made everything so much easier for us and whoever embalmed my mum and did her make-up did an amazing job. Luckily she had a very peaceful expression on her face (the last time I saw her was with her mouth wide open and lots of gargling as gasses and things escaped her mouth) just after I watched her die.
I have to say thank you for this thread @LittleHearseDriver and the job you do because it impacts the families and friends in more ways than the practical side of your job.
Making a family happy after losing someone they love means the world to me ❤LittleHearseDriver wrote: »
I'm not sure, really, probably removals. I'm not a people person.
I've gotta warn you, death isn't a 9:00-5:00 gig. You lose a lot of sleep and there are some nights when you have to go out several times. Home death calls can be gross when you see how nasty people live. And obese people are always a ton of fun- your help magically disappears when you have those.
If you're really passionate about it go to your local funeral home and speak with them. They may know a place that is hiring. The bigger thr city, the higher the demand.
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This is a great thread. I'm an archaeologist in the UK and have excavated lots of human remains (from Roman through to Victorian), we get the occasional cremation too, so it's interesting to read things from a different perspective! We can have a Victorian skeleton (~100 years old) who is completely decayed and a prehistoric skeleton (~3000 years old) with part of the brain still intact (true story; I know the guy that excavated it and it made headlines)!
Did you keep track of the Richard III discovery at Leicester? As a Ricardian (though a Brooklyn-based one!), I was excited to read about and about the results of the various examinations.
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@Motorsheen here is that memorial record that made me break down in tears last week. Folding and stapling those suckers made me want to take up drinking
[Images removed by MFP Staff]2 -
Flower girls? Funerals have flower girls?0
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This is a great thread. I'm an archaeologist in the UK and have excavated lots of human remains (from Roman through to Victorian), we get the occasional cremation too, so it's interesting to read things from a different perspective! We can have a Victorian skeleton (~100 years old) who is completely decayed and a prehistoric skeleton (~3000 years old) with part of the brain still intact (true story; I know the guy that excavated it and it made headlines)!
Did you keep track of the Richard III discovery at Leicester? As a Ricardian (though a Brooklyn-based one!), I was excited to read about and about the results of the various examinations.
It was hard to miss it. It's interesting and it's *in all probability* him but we can never be 100% sure. It's incredibly rare to be able to get and genetic data from a skeleton alone (the teeth are the best bet for isotopic analysis). I found Phillipa Langley's treatment of the excavation incredibly disrespectful but she is mental (IMO... as well as pretty much every actual archaeologist I know).
I'm a Viking Age specialist so Richard III is a bit modern for my liking haha.
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Thanks
.... I want a flower chick
Or two.0 -
This is a great thread. I'm an archaeologist in the UK and have excavated lots of human remains (from Roman through to Victorian), we get the occasional cremation too, so it's interesting to read things from a different perspective! We can have a Victorian skeleton (~100 years old) who is completely decayed and a prehistoric skeleton (~3000 years old) with part of the brain still intact (true story; I know the guy that excavated it and it made headlines)!
Did you keep track of the Richard III discovery at Leicester? As a Ricardian (though a Brooklyn-based one!), I was excited to read about and about the results of the various examinations.
It was hard to miss it. It's interesting and it's *in all probability* him but we can never be 100% sure. It's incredibly rare to be able to get and genetic data from a skeleton alone (the teeth are the best bet for isotopic analysis). I found Phillipa Langley's treatment of the excavation incredibly disrespectful but she is mental (IMO... as well as pretty much every actual archaeologist I know).
I'm a Viking Age specialist so Richard III is a bit modern for my liking haha.
Thanks for that interesting and informative perspective! I'm still going to believe it was Richard because, well, of course I am!
Time-wise, I go where my historical obsession lead me - unfortunately, I haven't run into a Viking obsession yet, but there's still time. I wander with the Brontes (obviously!), Diderot, and lots of people from the fifteenth century.
Forcing this digression back on point, sort of, the descriptions of embalming makes me think of examples from centuries past. One of them was for Philip the Handsome, son of the Emperor Maximilian of Hapsburg. He was married to Juana of Castile (known as Juana la Loca). During their time in Castile, after making himself a thorough pain, Philip died suddenly at the age of 28. The embalming method included the taking out of the internal organs (the heart was sent back to the Netherlands), and filling the body with perfumes and spices. Juana started on a journey from mid-country to Granada, where Philip had wanted to be buried. On three occasions, she had the coffin open. On one of these, the chronicler Pedro Martir (characterized by author Townsend Miller as "never averse to a good look at anything"), observed that the embalmers had majorly botched their job.
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LittleHearseDriver wrote: »
I've only ever been to one black funeral. It had a mime. It was very artistic and well done though.1 -
I feel very fortunate to work at a "white" funeral home that takes care of the black community. Most funeral homes are still segregated. Their funerals are very lively, spiritual, and the music is fantastic. Don't get me started on the food
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Has anyone been asked to be buried in a Superhero outfit?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I have it in my will that I'll be buried in a Superman t-shirt.3 -
If, for example, a husband and wife pass away together (a car accident let's say) is it possible for them to be cremated together? Or do you have to cremate them separately? Can the ashes be combined in one urn?
PS: I love this thread.
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Funny embalming story...
My grandfather was a cheap (thrifty) *kitten* his whole life, he also had a mustache from his 20's until the day he died the age of 92.
The funeral home shaved his mustache off in error, and my Aunt who was in charge of the arrangements, had a fit, so the funeral home gave us the embalming free of charge. We all thought that my grandfather would approve!
I am sure you have enough stories to fill several books!
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What normally happens when old married couples pass away days from eachother. Do the families normally put the first funeral on hold and have them together? How long can you wait to have it? (this one's a little personal right now is why it's so specific)0
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Double funerals are very common in those situations. If the body does well during embalming, we can wait 7- 10 days.1
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My mother passed away in December. She was cremated. The place we went to was also a mom & pop place. They were SO nice & helpful. I couldnt have asked for better service. They honored her wishes & even put her two dogs in the obituary lol! ❤ I just wanted to say thank you. Y'all are the last places that take care of our loved ones after they leave this world. It must be a heart wrenching job to see so many people sad.3
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Thank you so much. It means the world to me to know I'm making a difference in the lives of others ❤6
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