Good Luck Caskets & Misguided Motives | 4M #198

Welcome to the hundred-and-ninety-eighth edition of Morticians’ Monday Morning Mashup, 4M #198, where we’ll serve up bite-sized, easily-digestible nuggets of the deathcare news you need to crush conversations in the week ahead. Bon appetit!

He loves his momma

In order to ensure that his 70-year-old mom sticks around for as long as possible, a man  in China’s Hunan province did what we would all do — he marched his very-much-alive mother through town in a casket. The video of this procession, which included a total 16 men carrying the casket from the shop to the woman’s home, has gone viral, and the man says he hopes it brings good fortune and long life to his mom.

Tending America’s lawn

Last week, more than 400 landscapers from 30 states gathered at the FDR Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery to move and spread about 12 dump truck loads of mulch. The effort was part of a national day of service initiative organized by the National Association of Landscape Professionals. The mulch will “support tree and plant health by simulating the forest floor,” says a press release.

He accomplished his goal

A Texas funeral home is apologizing for the actions of a now former employee who posted videos of himself romping among the caskets in their selection room — with a gun. Another employee said the guy was just “trying to go viral.” He has, but not in the way he probably had hoped.

No notice, big problem

Remember when the US Postal Service was the mode through which everyone received reminders about everything from credit card bills to car tag renewals? Although most companies and organizations switched to reminders via email or text years ago, one funeral director must have missed the memo. So, when it came time to renew his funeral director’s license in 2012 and he didn’t get a reminder in the mail, he just kept on keeping on, practicing without a license for 12 more years. When he realized his mistake, he self-reported to his state’s board, who imposed a $1,000 fine. The board received no complaints about his service during the period when he was unlicensed, and he is currently in the process of renewing.