Cheerleaders Find, Like, Literal Skeletons in the Closet
What's the oddest thing you've found in an old closet? For some young Texas cheerleaders, the answer is literal skeletons. As the buildings formerly used by the Independent...
Canadian Embalmers Get Legal Go-Ahead for Visible Tattoos and Piercings
A Canadian labor arbitrator ruled in favor of visible tattoos and piercings for funeral home employees, saying one funeral home chain's ban violated the rights of its employees...
Preserving Historic Black Cemeteries
As the nation reckons with our history of racism and institutionalized discrimination, the stories of Black Americans are being unearthed –sometimes literally – in thousands of historic Black...
Reimagining the Cemetery as Public Space
From the humble churchyard to glamorous memorial parks with manicured lawns, cemeteries all require one thing: land. As urban real estate becomes an increasingly valuable commodity, many cemeteries...
Creative Urns Designed to Spark Conversation
Since the earliest days of civilization, humans have sought ways to memorialize the remains of their dead with ceremonial containers, whether buried deep within an underground vault or...
Proposed Maine Bill Would Regulate Funeral Vehicles
A proposed bill in the Maine legislature would create new requirements for vehicles used by funeral homes to protect the safety of drivers, reports Steve Collins for the...
Maine Could Legalize Open-Air Funeral Pyres
Cremation has increasingly grown in popularity in the United States. However, most jurisdictions still don't allow the use of open-air cremation, or outdoor funeral pyres. Only two such...
Best “Death-Positive” Sitcom Moments
Television has portrayed death in a variety of poignant, dramatic, and intensely emotional ways, with many of our most popular TV dramas involving murder, doctors, and, on occasion,...
“Human Composting” Funeral Home Makes Long-Awaited Debut
Recompose, the groundbreaking "human composting" funeral home and the first of its kind in the United States, is now officially open to the public. The innovative business began...
Ancient Chinese Funeral Rituals Gaining New Popularity Online
Chinese funeral culture is having a moment on the internet. Steeped in thousands of years of tradition, China's funerals feature exquisitely handcrafted art that has drawn admirers from...