
Cancel That Funeral.
One thing being old will get you in this
day of pinpoint advertising is phone calls, snail mail, and other
solicitation of your business. Be it an invitation from an old
folks' home to drop by for a tour or a telephone pitch for a back
brace, the sellers know a lot about you - particularly your age.
The funeral industry is particularly good at going
after potential elderly customers before they're ready to pass through
the Pearly Gates. I recently got a letter from a local funeral
company saying I could achieve substantial savings by signing up for a
funeral package now. I could even shoulder the cost through
"affordable monthly payments." This would take the emotional
strain off family members left behind to make final arrangements.
Contemplating death can be a fearsome
thing. Hardly anyone wants to think about it very much, and most
of us are willing to spend large amounts of money with doctors and
medical centers, not to mention pharmacies, staying out of the reach of
the Grim Reaper as long as possible. But the day must come when
one's pulse stops and that's that.
Custom had it that one's corpse should
be preserved for as long as possible and that resulted in embalming,
costly caskets, a ceremony at a hall or at graveside, after which the
deceased is deposited into the earth and the place marked with a
granite or bronze marker. Expensive floral arrangements used to
be part of the ceremony but that tradition has waned in recent
years. In fact, the increasing popularity of cremation has also
done away in many cases with the trundling in of the casket for the
farewell service. There isn't one to trundle. The dearly
departed's remains have been incinerated and the ashes consigned to a
metal or ceramic urn. Or even a stout cardboard box.
Still, the coming together of family and
friends in a formal farewell ritual of some kind persists. "It is
necessary," we are assured, "in order to achieve closure." So,
family and friends - farflung and local - take on the expense of time
and money to gather for what has come to be called a "Celebration of
the Life of ___________."
A casual check of pricing
indicates an average funeral hereabouts runs from $7,000.00 to
$10,000.00. This does not cover the cost of the cemetary plot,
headstone or other marker. (I've
often thought cemetaries were an inefficient use of valuable
land. How are the living benefited by them?)
There is no harm done, except possibly
to their bank accounts, by those who feel the need of a formal
farewell ceremony and are willing to pay whatever the funeral
companies ask for materials and services. These companies have a lot of
overhead to support and are obliged to clear some profit for the
owners. On the other hand, people who hesitate to plunk down
$10,000.00 for a ceremonial send off should be permitted to slip away
to oblivion with as little expense to their estate as
possible. After all, there is no law that requires
funerals. Or even expensive obituaries in the newspaper, for that
matter.
As for me, that Celebration of
Life business is appealing. I have asked my relatives to skip the
formal funeral ceremony. A little drop-in at the house
might be nice, but the idea of having a Beer and Barbecue Memorial
Celebration at the lake at a later date is better. Shouldn't cost
anywhere near $10,000.00.
October 10, 2017
Mail: WRISLEY.com