How To Have a Home Funeral
- February 18, 2010
- 827 Views
Writer
Brandon Potter
Voice Over Artist
Mario Bueno
Besides being a less expensive option, handling a loved one’s funeral at home can be an intimate, therapeutic way to say good-bye. Here are the basics.
You Will Need
- Friends and family
- Knowledge of local laws
- Dry ice
- A casket
- A vehicle to transport the casket
- A final resting place
- A death midwife (optional)
Step 1: Decide if it's right for you
Decide if a home funeral is for you. Consider whether you want to be so closely involved with preparing the funeral of a loved one. Then, gauge whether you have the support of friends and family; a home funeral is a group effort.
Step 2: Research laws before the death
Know the laws. Most states require a death certificate, a permit to transport the body, and that the body be buried, cremated, or donated to science. Contact local authorities to learn about the laws in your area.
Enlist a death midwife to coach you through the process of a home funeral.
Step 3: Make arrangements
Arrange for the casket and final resting place of the deceased. Order a casket, or build it by hand. Contact a cemetery about a burial plot or cremation services. Then, arrange for transport.
If you want to bury your loved one on family property, check with local authorities to see if it’s legal.
Step 4: Wash and dress the body
Have between two and six people wash and dress the body within a few hours of death, before rigor mortis sets in. Close the eyes and lay an eye pillow on them for a few hours to keep the eyelids shut. If the mouth drops open, wrap a cotton bandana under the chin and tie it at the top of the head.
Step 5: Keep the body cool
Keep the body cool with pieces of a 20- to 30-pound block of dry ice placed in bags under the torso. Replace the dry ice as needed. The body can be kept at home for two to three days at a temperature of 60 to 75 degrees with little or no decomposition.
Step 6: Organize a wake
Organize a viewing, wake, or funeral at the home according to the family’s wishes. Have a religious figure, friend, or family member officiate the ceremony.
Personalize the ceremony by setting up pictures and other mementos that will celebrate the life of the departed.
Step 7: Transport the body
Transfer the body along with any personal items to the casket, and transport the body to the burial site.
Step 8: Bury the body
Bury the deceased or inter the ashes after cremation. Now you can come to terms with a loved one’s death, knowing they were taken to their final resting place by those they loved.
The average mortuary funeral service costs $6,000, while a home funeral costs between $1,000 and $2,000.
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Comments (1)
There are only 8 states where a dead body becomes a hostage of the funeral industry--CT, IL, IN, LA, MI, NE, NJ, NY. In all others a family or church group may handle the death. The advice to ";contact local authorities"; to learn the laws is poor advice if you are in an area that hasn't had a home funeral in recent times--they may not know the laws. An authoritative source is ";Final Rights: Reclaiming the American Way of Death."; There is a detailed state chapter for each state including information on home burial, if permitted. If your library or bookstore doesn't yet have the book, you will soon be able to download a state chapter for $5 from www.funerals.org
Or e-mail me directly, lisa@funeralethics.org
You do not always need dry ice. At 70 degrees or less, the body is usually fine for the first couple of days. You also don't need a casket. One can be buried in a shroud. Or you can purchase a cardboard casket from a funeral home. A home funeral doesn't need to cost even $1,000, let alone $2,000 unless you're counting the food and refreshments for those who are gathering.
9 months ago by LisaCarlson
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