Inspired by "gravesite photos".. Items in coffins..

[C.Ann]

The first time I saw this done was many, many years ago when my cousin's 5 yr. old son was struck and killed by truck on his way home from school.. Before they closed the coffin they put his favorite cowboy hat in there and a flashlight - so he wouldn't be afraid of the dark..

When my Dad died, I wrote him a special letter and slipped that - along with a set of keys to our lake house - in his suit coat pocket..

Since then (in the past 15 years or so) I have seen coffins laden down with so much stuff there's barely room for the deceased..

Have any of you ever placed anything in a coffin with the deceased?

 

[helenabear]

Yep, my mom died 10 days before Christmas and I put the Christmas presents I had bought for her that year as did my siblings.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

I put a tiny embroidered tiger paw in my father's coffin. He was a graduate of Clemson University and he loved his tigers.

Lori

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by helenabear
Yep, my mom died 10 days before Christmas and I put the Christmas presents I had bought for her that year as did my siblings.

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10 days before Christmas??? How awful for all of you! Of course any death is "awful", but so close to the holiday makes it that much worse.. If my Dad had died that close to Christmas I guess I would have done the same..

And isn't there some nationality or something that routinely places certain items in the coffin? Seems I recall reading that somewhere..

 

[olena]

When my grandfather died, we put his VFW hat in his casket. He fought in 3 wars and his service was very special to all of us.

 

[Jeafl]

My grandfather died at 91 yrs. old, and in his later years he like to play the scratch-off lottery, always dreaming of hitting it big. When he died we put a lotto ticket in his suit pocket, and right before they closed the casket, we scratched it off to see if it was a winner. Sure enough it was a $50 winning ticket! We left it in his pocket because we thought it would have made him happy.

 

[Magix]

My best friend's brother died in a car accident a couple of years ago and items were placed in his coffin by his brothers and friends. A pack of cigarettes, a (how shall I say this nicely) prophylactic - mind you these were older teens who'd think of that sort of thing, a whole variety of items His brothers put in a framed photograph that I took of the three of them showing them with the matching tatoos they'd gotten of their deceased brother's name - they just wanted him to know they were with him and they missed him (and he'd always be a part of them). Though some of the items were silly, it was touching to see that people wanted to put something in there for him that he might need or want in the afterlife. Everyone also signed his coffin (and the coffin of his best friend, who died with him) with thoughts and wishes for him. Good ideas, both of them, to help those who felt the loss deal with their pain in some small way.

 

[shoes99]

MY Dad died on January 18th. We sent with him his Organic Gardening Books, two packs of tomato seeds, his Mets hat and his purple heart pin, (he had two). He lived for his organic garden, so this was appropriate. We also had tomatoes, carrots and radishes on his casket spray. The local NJ florist did a great job.
Michele

 

[Flyfly_Eclipse]

I believe my brother was buried in one of his favorite outfits - hawaiiann(sp?) flower shorts and a tee. My grandparents (my dad's parents) live in Ohio. They put a buckeye in my brother's casket. A buckeye is a positive thing...a good luck charm, to many.

I was only 11 years old when my brother died. I now wish I put something in there...but there are many things I still regret. Like not seeing him for 3 days before it happened, because he always got home from work late, and I had to go to bed before he'd get home. If it happened today, I would have written him a letter, and included something to represent some of the things we used to do together.

 

[nativetxn]

When my husband's father died, we put a copy of a family photo and a photo of his little dog into the coffin with him. It made us feel better to do that.

I still miss him so much.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

When my father died, we buried him in his favorite golf outfit. We included his college ring and a golf club.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

When my father passed away seven years ago, my kids were 8 and 10 years old. He often helped them with math homework. DS put a math test that he had scored well on in the casket. We also had a small pillow with 4 roses, one for each grandchild, and placed that in the casket. He loved his grandkids.

 

[CamColt]

Ironic this subject came up, since DH and I were just discussing it. MIL is famous for writing notes and sticking them all over the house. One day I was at her house and she was literally panic stricken because she couldnt find her red pen and wanted to write a note. They are written in red and underlined. There are notes about reading other notes, no lie.
So anyway it looks like things arent going well for her right now and DH said when she dies he will put some of her notes in with her.

 

[6_Time_Momma]

Each of the kids wrote a letter to Gabrielle and we bought a stuffed Pooh bear that all went into her casket.

 

[flrose]

This is making me miss my dad SO MUCH! My dad passed away Jan. 6th 7 yrs. ago. He fought so hard to make it thru that one last Christmas. He was buried in his Army dress uniform with all the pins and ribbons exactly where they were suppose to be. I know that is what would have made him happiest. I wish I would have thought to put a letter in his pocket but, that's ok. I talk to him all the time and know that he is my guardian angel and always watching out for me and DS!

 

[Pembo]

Dh was just at a funeral today and told me that the family put in an embroidered family tree quilt with "Grandma". He said after they covered her with it the family all seemed much calmer.

 

[twinmomplus2new]

Many years ago, A young boy I knew was hit by a car and was killed, Labor day weekend.
He was too start Kindergaten a week later. Well I babysat this little one somtimes and he had been real excited about being a big boy and going to school. Had shown me all his school clothes shoes etc...I was a kid about 16 and was devasted by the whole experience.. and went of course to the wake and they had dressed him in his first day of school outfit down to these little gray leather velcro loafers he had shown me a few days prior. And his lunchbox. I have never ever forgotten looking and seeing those shoes on his feet it has stuck with me over 20 years.

On a lighter note....

When my papa died we put in some of his most loved things scratch tickets.
At the reception following my Uncle sheepishly said he put in ten scratch tickets.
My mother laughed and said Oh My God she did too!
Aunt number 1, Ahhh we did too.
Aunt number 2, us too.
Uncle number 2 said well he had put them in for my Nana, So suffice it to say he went with alot of tickets in his pocket.

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

When my grandfather on my father's side passed away I put a roll of quarters in his casket. When I was younger he would always drop quarters out of his pocket for me to find and when I brought them to him he said "stupid hole in my pocket, I've been meaning to sew that closed, well you can keep the ones that you found." And when I had enough quarters he would take me out for ice cream.

My grandfather on my mother's side just recently passed in October of last year, I put in a copy of Dirty Dancing , it was his favorite movie ("Nobody puts baby in a corner"). And a small cribbage board because my brother and I would play with him all the time.

 

[WDWLVR]

When my mom died I took her favorite prayer book and her rosary, wrapped them in an Irish linen hankerchief and closed with a gold Claddaugh pin. I tucked it in where no one could see it.

 

[joshsmom]

I went to the wake of a co-worker's sister. She and her fiance had been somewhere like Alabama or Mississippi visiting his relatives when they got in an accident on the way home. They buried her in her wedding dress--right down to her shoes. I had never seen a casket opened all the way. It was so sad.