Examples of unique and creative funerals and celebrations of life
Have you noticed that the traditional funeral leaves you sad and empty? Read the examples below of unique and unforgettable celebrations of life. These go far beyond what you may have thought a funeral or memorial service is supposed to be. If we hadn’t experienced a funeral and thought that was the norm, we might have been planning and attending fabulous events like the ones you’ll read about. They may inspire you with some ideas to create a lasting tribute to your loved ones that your friends and family will never forget. I wish you the best on your journey to truly personalize and capture the unique and special life that was lived.
Alicia Johnson, a self-proclaimed wine connoisseur, arranged her service to include four separate stations for the wine-tasting ceremony set up in the front yard of her suburban home. Her family and friends walked to each of the four stations, tasted wine, and experienced important areas of her life. In the first, they listened to some of her favorite music while enjoying a particular wine she had invested in and talked to each other about Alicia, her wine, and her music. At the second ceremony station, the funeral director provided each attendee with a message card to write words of comfort to the family if they wished while they enjoyed a different wine and listened to her husband discuss their life together. . At the third station of the ceremony under an outdoor tent, they tearfully watched Alicia in a video of her speaking to them from her bed just a few weeks before her death. She had heartfelt and loving messages for more than ten of her family and friends.
Jack Killington, was a fifty-two-year-old member of the Mohawks jogging club. To conclude his service, as he rode in the hearse, members of the Mohawk club, running through tears, escorted him on the etherside the two miles to the cemetery.
Dave loved animals and had many safari adventures with his wife Margaret. He seemed appropriate to make animals the center of his celebration of life.
Serving Dave:
Funeral attendees were invited to greet the family under an open-air tent outside the zoo gates where coffee and cocktails were served, and the opportunity for informal social exchange between family and friends was provided. They were presented with a 10-inch square commemorative folder printed with the ceremony agenda and photographs of Dave throughout his life.
At the appointed time for the service, family and friends boarded one of several waiting zoo trains and began a slow journey to the first “ceremony performance,” this one in front of the outdoor bear pavilion. At this station, several tripods held enlarged photographs of animals that Dave had taken. These were on display next to a podium with a microphone.
Once family and friends had disembarked from the trains and gathered around the podium, Dave’s wife, Margaret, began a conversation about her husband and, in particular, his experiences on safari and his devotion and love for the animals. animals. At the conclusion of her comments, she invited others to share memories and recollections of her husband. The group then re-boarded the trains for the short ride to the next “Ceremony Station”.
At the second stop, at the Lion Pavilion, several more tripods displayed enlarged articles about Dave, his work, and his devotion to animals, and a display table held Dave’s PETA awards and PETA donation envelopes. Dave’s closest friend, Don Strattermier, began the presentation by talking about his friendship with Dave and Dave’s love of animals. He then introduced Christine, who recounted her experience “behind the scenes” of Dave’s work at PETA, sharing several little-known but admirable successes and breakthroughs she had made on behalf of animal rights. At the conclusion of her remarks, attendees had another chance to make spontaneous comments.
The entourage reboarded the trains and headed for the zoo’s arboretum. Chairs in front of a large screen allowed family and friends to sit while watching an eight-minute slideshow of the deceased’s life; Photographs taken from the family album showed Dave from his childhood to the present, including various safari scenes. The last image was a close-up of Dave’s face. As that photograph remained on the screen, attendees heard four phone rings, followed by Dave’s voice on his personal voicemail machine at home, a message most in the audience were familiar with: “Hello, this is Dave. I’m on safari leave me a message and I hope to meet you someday somewhere along the way.” After the slide show, each person was given a three by five card and a pen to write a message to Dave and/or Margaret.
After the slideshow, an opportunity was provided for those who cared to pay their last respects to the deceased, whose body in the casket lay in state among the foliage and flowers of the arboretum. As they passed by the casket, each was greeted by Margaret, who received cards from her with messages, hugs and kind words.
At the conclusion of the wake, the funeral procession formed in the zoo parking lot for the trip to the cemetery.
The body in the coffin was hoisted atop Dave’s beloved 75-year-old elephant Tranzago, who began a slow trek to “The Teachers Valley”; a well-groomed animal graveyard at the zoo, followed by friends and family on foot. Prior permission had been obtained from the local town mayor’s office for the burial.
Although the family was not religious, the funeral director felt that Dave had lived a spiritual life and suggested that a local devout Buddhist and friend of Dave and Margaret be asked to draw such parallels between his devotion to animals and his spirituality to make brief comments. for this purpose in the internment service.
The funeral director also suggested that Don Strattermier remain in the grave until the casket was lowered and the grave filled. It should be noted that Tranzago refused to leave the burial site until the burial was complete.
