closed casket/open casket

[Pin Wizard]

Never thought about it. However, cameras will NOT be allowed!

My sister all ready told me she wants a closed casket with a picture of her smiling right on top.

 

[BillSears]

Cremated with no casket. Any service held can either just have photos of me or photos and my ashes.

 

[buddy&wooz]

Donate what still works and cremate me.

Dh isn't so cool with the idea, so I finally told him do whatever he wants, I'll be too dead to care.

 

[nliedel]

It's not my problem I could care less and don't think I will be in a position to want to know. I will have a closed casket when my Father passes but that is his wish (we talked about it recently. He is about to turn 81).

I agree with the above poster. Donate what still works. I have signed papers to that effect and my entire family knows my wishes.

 

[JimB.]

Cremation. Open casket funerals are, IMHO, horrible. My mom insisted on one for my dad when he died and it was, without a doubt, the horribly gut-wrenching experience I have ever been through.

My mom THINKS she is going to have one too. My brother & I have already decided that she is mistaken.

Besides, cremation is a HECK of a lot cheaper too.

 

[Blondie]

It really depends on how I die. If I'm badly disfigured from a car accident, or some nasty disease, do us all a favor and close me up.

Other than that, I voted open. I'll let my family member have the final decision though, I'll respect their wishes.

My father passed away in October, and I will say that I was glad it was an opened casket. Even though he was still swollen from all the IV fluids they were pushing trying to revive him, it was the last chance I had at gently stroking his baby fine hair, laying my hand upon his, etc. Light touch was encouraged by the funeral home director. He told us to be careful around the mouth area because there had been extensive cosmetic work where he had been intubated, etc. and he wanted us to avoid that area. Believe me, I had no intentions of getting near his mouth, but I guess he had to mention it.

When my mother placed his wedding ring back on his finger, it was a very special and emotional moment for us all, one that wouldn't have been possible during a closed casket.

Members from his naval order of whatever were there to present him with a medal of some sorts, which also wouldn't have been possible during a closed casket. That was also deeply emotional, and I could tell the old vets doing it were just as choked up as we were.

My grandmother has already given instructions that she wants an open casket, and she wants to be wearing bright red lipstick and have long red manicured fingernails!

 

[tw1nsmom]

cremated

 

[Blondie]

Has anyone considered a "green funeral?"

I first heard about it on the HBO series "Six Feet Under." I didn' t know such a thing existed until then. I think I'd rather do something like this than be turned into ashes, if given the choice.

Green Burial

For those who want to leave the earth just as they found it, a company in South Carolina offers green burials.


For those who want to live an environmentally sustainable life, and prefer to leave the earth that way as well, the Ramsey Creek Preserve may be just the answer. Memorial Ecosystems, founded by Dr. Billy Campbell in 1998, has created a nature preserve and cemetery near Westminster, South Carolina, where the traditional elements of a cemetery are no where to be found: no manicured lawns, embalming fluids or metal vaults are permitted. Instead, the 32-acre Ramsey Creek Preserve is managed as a native ecosystem complete with flowing streams, wildflowers and mature forests.

Conventional burials typically involve toxic embalming fluids, which can leak into the ground water and water supply. Rare wood caskets and metal vaults are also commonly sunk deep into the earth. At Ramsey Creek, only caskets made from biodegradable wood and non-toxic embalming fluids are permitted. In addition, the cost of a standard burial often runs over $6,000, whereas a Ramsey Creek burial costs approximately $2,300. A green burial not only saves money, but with only 1,200 projected burial sites on 32 acres of land -- as opposed to the typical 900 graves per acre -- open space is preserved as well.

Dr. Campbell, former chief of staff at Oconee Memorial Hospital and amateur medical anthropologist, got his idea for Ramsey Creek from his research on Borneo. In tribal Borneo, "spirit forests" are maintained where the dead are left completely undisturbed on hallowed grounds. Letting nature do its work is hardly a new concept, which is why Dr. Campbell claims his "dust to dust" project is simply the revival of an old tradition.

UPDATE

September 2000: Since November 1998, there have been nine burials at Ramsey Creek.

Ramsey Creek is currently being turned over to a nonprofit land trust, but Memorial Ecosystems is researching future preserves in San Diego, Chicago, and Seattle. They're consulting with other cemeteries and have engaged local eco-artists to design environmentally-friendly burial markers.


CONTACTS


Dr. Billy Campbell: Founder Memorial Ecosystems
Phone: (864) 647-7798
Fax: (864) 647-7796
Email: information@memorialecosystems.com

 

[Martha7]

Sigh...I miss Six Feet Under so much! Oh well, nevermind...The Sopranos will be back on March 12! I think that group favors closed caskets, don't they? Also from Six Feet Under, what about the way David looked after they had donated his organs? It made me think about it for a second, but I'd still do it!
I think this thread is useful in the sense that it should encourage all of us to discuss our wishes with our families. So often nothing is said, and then it's up to those who are grieving for us to figure it out, which can be an additional burden.

 

[Blondie]

Sigh...I miss Six Feet Under so much! Oh well, nevermind...The Sopranos will be back on March 12! I think that group favors closed caskets, don't they?

I think most of the funerals on the Sopranos have been open caskets. Don't quote me on that however, just going by memory, which has been slipping lately! I think Livia Soprano had a closed casket.

 

[nliedel]

Cremation. Open casket funerals are, IMHO, horrible. My mom insisted on one for my dad when he died and it was, without a doubt, the horribly gut-wrenching experience I have ever been through.

My mom THINKS she is going to have one too. My brother & I have already decided that she is mistaken.

Besides, cremation is a HECK of a lot cheaper too.

Are you goiong to cremate your mother instead of following her last wishes?

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

cremation - no viewing...hopefully donation of organs,etc if possible - love the idea of family/friends getting together with maybe a nice photo - a celebration of my life, not mourning my death

 

[Martha7]

I think most of the funerals on the Sopranos have been open caskets. Don't quote me on that however, just going by memory, which has been slipping lately! I think Livia Soprano had a closed casket.

Trust me, your memory is way better than mine, since I don't recall any of the Soprano funerals! The advantage of having a poor memory however, is that I can watch a movie or TV show that I've already seen, and it's like seeing it for the first time!

 

[L107ANGEL]

Donate what they want, cremate, no viewing.

 

[DawnCt1]

Does anyone want to be turned into "SOILENT GREEN"? Remember that from Logan's Run?