Final requests are something every person should put in place long before they die. Why? Because that way you’ll get the funeral services you want, not what your next of kin prefers.
When you have your wishes documented on paper, that’s what should happen after you die, no matter how creepy anyone else thinks it is. These 5 funeral requests prove as long as it’s within the confines of the local laws, you can specify exactly what you want done no matter how creepy it is.
Requesting the Use of a Coffin Alarm
Afraid of being buried alive? So were a lot of people a couple hundred years ago when it was more likely to happen. The solution – a coffin rigged up with a bell alarm and breathing apparatus. There were actually specialty coffins in the 1800s that were built with the express purpose of allowing someone to signal for help if they should be buried alive.
Egyptian Pharaohs Had Weapons Put in Their Tombs
Ancient Egyptians believed that the dead moved on to an afterlife that was a lot like our mortal world. That meant a pharaoh needed to be prepared after death with weapons for protection and killing others in the next life. That would make a lot of sense given that the pharaohs were also buried with a lot of valuables so the afterlife would be luxurious. Tutankahman even had golden chariots brought into his tomb.
Death Cookies Directly From the Deceased
In Victorian times there were a lot of funeral traditions that would be considered odd today. However, one common practice was downright creepy. Many Victorian funerals included funerary cookies or biscuits. These baked goods were placed on the deceased’s body and then given to funeral guests. The belief was that the cookies or biscuits would absorb the deceased’s spirit which was then most likely consumed by funeral goers.
Grave Cages to Keep Bodies in Burial Plots
A few hundred years ago grave robbing was a real concern. It wasn’t unheard of for someone to want a “cage” to be constructed around the burial plot. These metal fences would be constructed for a few reasons. First and foremost it was done to prevent a body from easily being taken out of a grave (most likely for medical research). The second reason in some parts was even more practical. It was to prevent the casket and/or body from floating away if the cemetery flooded.
Pringles Can Cremation Container
Most people request that their cremains be stored in a conventional urn. Pringles founder Fred Baur was not most people. His will specified that his cremains were to be put in a Pringles container. But no special Pringles can was specified to be used as the receptacle. He had told his family about his wish on a few occasions going back decades before his death at 89 years old.
Bauer’s adult children reported in a Time article that they simply stopped at a Walgreens on the way to the funeral home. Bauer’s children chose a Pringles original flavor because it seemed most fitting.
Direct Cremate works with families to provide efficient direct cremation services that meet expectations. If you’d like to make a special request, give our team a call to find out how we can accommodate you.
