Planning for the end

[Ed in Tampa]

Chris, I'm deeply sorry to have ruffled feathers, especially yours.

I'm going by what I've seen out here in God's Waiting Room, Western edition.

HERE, the story is quite different than what you state. I wish it weren't true, but out here, Funeral businesses, and used car dealers rate about the same. (Which is still HIGHER than lawyers or politicians, incidentally.)

I'm publicly apologizing, and ask your understanding.

Thanks for being here, when ALL of us need you!

Steve

Chris
I echo Steve's comments. To hear of donations made by the funeral industry for the Connecticut school disaster warms my heart.

However my experience involved with funerals and funeral homes in PA, Ohio and Florida I found most funeral homes to be the exact opposite.

As a Pastor I cringe at the very thought of dealing with funeral homes. I know most Pastors are like me and have little or no respect for the funeral industry.

If you are different and it sounds as if you are then I totally apologize to you and ask your forgiveness for including you in my generalization.

[fredsheldon]

Ok, you have convinced me, my next project is to build my own casket. Anybody have a link to some good plans My kids then can just blame me for using a cheap casket and not having to take a guilt trip.

[beeg]

Ok, you have convinced me, my next project is to build my own casket. Anybody have a link to some good plans My kids then can just blame me for using a cheap casket and not having to take a guilt trip.

Post 14 here in THIS thread.

http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/showpos ... stcount=24

[charlese]

This morning's newspaper showed a photo of a plastic 55 Chevy that was made to be an urn for cremation ashes. The top, windows and roof, lift off to reveal a hole. These cars and other shapes are made by a Minnesota firm using a 3-D printer. Cost? Pretty expensive!

[retrobalmer59]

Ed, as the fourth generation member of my family to serve in the funeral profession, I am very offended by your comments regarding funeral directors. I am sorry that you feel the way that you do. I especially take offense to your reference to, as you put, knowing that we as funeral directors have you by the throat when you make arrangements with them at the time of death. I have no life, as I am on call 24/7/365 and respond to requests for assistance at all hours of the day and night. There are nights I get very little, if any sleep. My job is anything but easy; I own my own funeral home that has been in business for over 100 years. So before you continue your pontificating about how bad funeral directors really are, consider the fact there are honest funeral directors that truly care about what they are doing.

Being a Pastor and having to deal with funerals very often the one bit of advice I would offer is do what ever you have to avoid dealing with a funeral home at the time of death.

My apologizes to Chris Neilan but my experience has always been they know they have you by the throat when you try to make arrangements with them at the time of death.

What ever you do make your arrangements now before you need their services. Believe me you will save a ton of money.

One last bit of advice. The cost of the funeral is not indicative the amount of love you had for the deceased, it is indicative of the salesmanship of the funeral director. Again my apologies to Chris.

[fredsheldon]

So lets say a loved one has passed. Who among the living would be the first to even suggest that they try to save some bucks during a time of grief. It's human nature to want to make up for all those years of not visiting the folks while they were alive by making a big show at the end. Don't blame the funeral homes, it's your guilt feeling that are making the decisions for you.

[Ed in Tampa]

[quote="retrobalmer59"]Ed, as the fourth generation member of my family to serve in the funeral profession, I am very offended by your comments regarding funeral directors. I am sorry that you feel the way that you do. I especially take offense to your reference to, as you put, knowing that we as funeral directors have you by the throat when you make arrangements with them at the time of death. I have no life, as I am on call 24/7/365 and respond to requests for assistance at all hours of the day and night. There are nights I get very little, if any sleep. My job is anything but easy]

I can appreciate your 24/7/365 but you always get a pay check. I know many pastors that labor the same way and get little or nothing. So let us not go there.

I'm sorry if I offended you and I apologize but my suggestion still stands if it is at all possible make your own arrangements before you need the service. You will save yourself and loved ones a ton of money.

[Ed in Tampa]

So lets say a loved one has passed. Who among the living would be the first to even suggest that they try to save some bucks during a time of grief. It's human nature to want to make up for all those years of not visiting the folks while they were alive by making a big show at the end. Don't blame the funeral homes, it's your guilt feeling that are making the decisions for you.

Fred if that were true I would have little problem with the funeral industry. However years of observations and having been trained and having more than a little experience in human psychology I know that is not always the case. There are certain buss words, inflections and body gestures used that guilt people during the process.

These are hightly trained professionals that make their living doing this.

My point! If it is at all possible make your final arrangements yourself before hand that way everything else becomes moot

[Ed in Tampa]

Before this goes any further.
And since the funeral directors will always get the final word.

Let me publicily apologize to the honest and dedicated in the funeral industry. Those that put the good of others ahead of profit and the competition. Those that are moved by compassion, always doing what is right and not the most profitable. To those members of the funeral industry I take my hat off.

However since not every funeral home is motivated by these attributes my final word on this subject is make and pay for your final arrangements and spare your loved one's the agony and abuse that often accompanies a death with no prior arrangements having been made.

Enough said.

[rjent]

I think I may have to quit posting here .....

Every thread that I get involved with gets people's feeling hurt ....

At least I know how to build my own casket now, and I AM planning for the end ....

And Ed, I DO understand, my dad was a preacher later in his life as well.

Dick