In June of 2010 we posted an article centered around this topic, an article about a funeral home in Puerto Rico that embalmed a young man standing and placed him is his home for calling hours and the funeral (wake). The article struck a cord with many readers at the time and produced comments like “lets get laws passed now to keep this from becoming a fad”. Many readers thought that this was an undignified thing and showed disrespect for the deceased.
Now, a year and a half later there is a funeral home is South Carolina starting to do the same thing for families, and the families are requesting it more frequently, and are doing it as a dignified tribute to the deceased.
If this is the family’s wish then I personally don’t see a problem with it. This is just another way families are using personalization to find more value in the funeral.
Being almost a year and a half since we last talked about this topic, I am very interested in reading your comments, and finding out if feelings or views on this type of embalming have changed.
A Rock Hill, South Carolina mortician says he has to think differently in this tough economy to attract new business.
Cecil Gilmore will pose the dead as they were alive, but only at a family’s request.
In fact, one family asked Gilmore to have their deceased loved one sitting up in a recliner watching Pittsburgh Steelers highlights because that’s how they remembered him.
“Once he passed, he wanted to be remembered for basketball, so sat him up posed his arm like this and put a ball in it and had him looking at a TV screen on the wall,” said Gilmore.
Gilmore says he uses a combination of formaldehyde and flair at a reasonable price in a tough economy. And though death is seen as serious for most, Gilmore says to give it a rest and just smile at the great memories.
“Daddy didn’t go to church all that often, but he did like to play the violin, so we prop him up with a violin in his arms and they say, that’s Daddy, that is dignity,” said Gilmore.
