By Elisa Ingoldby
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05 Jan, 2021
The Death of a Funeral......Weird title, but a serious subject. Our community may not realize, but the trend of having a funeral is losing interest. Especially since COVID-19, it has become more apparent, that people no longer may be interested in traditional services. My point of this publication is to bring to light how society has lost the art of being allowed to grieve in a traditional way and the importance of that final good-bye. When people think of a funeral they think of expense. The cost of the funeral director, the casket, flowers, memorial cards, and more. It is true, just an obituary can cost hundreds of dollars. Is that expense worth it and why do we need to have it? I will answer with an astounding yes! According to a recent 2020 survey conducted by the National Funeral Directors Association, 46.5 % agree of a funeral service’s importance. It is significant, but funerals, death and dying is a topic most people do not want to talk about. If you were to ask people about a wedding, birthday, or graduation celebration, they would be thrilled to tell you all about it! A funeral is no different. It is part of life! No one should be afraid of it or to talk about it. Maybe people who do not believe in life after death are fearful, but there are many components to why we must discuss it and why not to be uncomfortable with the topic. Foremost, our funeral is the last obligation to ourselves and our family. If people have a positive outlook about their death, then it is easy to plan for that final arrangement. It should be a time to celebrate a person’s life and not leave that burden to the grieving family or friends. Funerals are for the living, not the dead. People who are refusing to have services, whether burial or cremation, are missing a vital link, as COVID-19 has taught us. We need time to reflect, celebrate, remember, and respect that life lived. I am not saying people who do not have services are not respecting the dead, I am simply saying when we miss out on the funeral, we miss all those components. To pay our respects to the family, support them and be there in their time of grief. Cremations are on the rise with around 60% of us choosing that over traditional burials. Expense, location or cause of death, family history and feelings of death all play a role in whether someone is cremated or embalmed and buried. Lower costs and limited burial space will cause an increased rise in cremation over the next 20 years. That being said, “funerals” are still meaningful, whether we are looking at a casket or an urn when we have gathered together to say good-bye. Whatever you think of death, I encourage you to not be afraid of discussing it with your family and have your final wishes arranged, planned, and respected. It is the only way to go out of this world, so your funeral does not die with you. ~~ EI