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 way beyond what you’ve 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 might inspire you with some ideas for creating a lasting tribute to your loved ones that your friends and family will never forget. I wish you the best in your journey to personalize and truly capture the unique and special life that was lived.
Alicia Johnson, a self-proclaimed wine connoisseur, arranged her service to include four separate wine-tasting ceremony stations set up in the backyard of her suburban home. Her family and her 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 of hers while enjoying a particular wine she had invested in and talked to each other about Alicia, her wine, and her music. At the station for the second ceremony, the funeral director provided each attendee with a message card to write words of comfort to the family if they so desired while enjoying a different wine and listening to her husband talk about their life together. . At the third station of the ceremony under an open-air marquee, they tearfully watched a video of Alicia speaking to them from her bed just weeks before her death. She had heartfelt and loving messages for more than ten family members and friends of hers.
Jack Killington, was a fifty-two year old member of the Mohawks jogging club. To conclude his service, as he rode in the hearse, tearful Mohawk club members escorted him on the ether side 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.
At Dave’s service:
Funeral attendees were invited to greet the family under an outdoor tent outside the zoo gates where coffee and cocktails were served and the opportunity for informal social sharing 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 from throughout his life.
At the appointed time for the service, family and friends boarded one of several waiting zoo trains and began a slow ride 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.
As family and friends disembarked from the trains and gathered around the podium, Dave’s wife, Margaret, began a conversation about her husband, and in particular about their experiences on safari and their devotion and love for the animals. Concluding her comments, she invited others to share memories and memories of her husband. The group then re-boarded the trains for the short ride to the next “Ceremony Station”.
At the second stop, in the lions’ 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 for animals. He then introduced Christine, who recounted her “behind the scenes” experience of Dave’s work at PETA, sharing various little-known but admirable successes and breakthroughs she had made on behalf of animal rights. At the conclusion of her comments, attendees had another opportunity to make spontaneous comments.
The entourage re-boarded the trains and proceeded to the zoo’s arboretum. Chairs facing 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 photo lingered on the screen, attendees heard four rings from a phone, followed by Dave’s voice on his personal message machine at home, a message most of the audience was familiar with: “Hello, this is Dave. “I’m on safari. Leave me a message and I hope to meet you somewhere along the way some day.” 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 slide show, an opportunity was provided for those who cared to pay their last respects to the deceased, whose body in the coffin lay in state among the foliage and flowers of the arboretum. As they passed by the coffin, they were each 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 on top of Dave’s beloved 75-year-old Tranzago elephant, which began a slow walk to “The Teachers Valley”; a well-groomed animal cemetery in the zoo, followed by friends and relatives 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 sensed that Dave had lived a spiritual life and suggested that a devout local 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 at 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.
