SAT, 3 OCT AT 07:00 PDT
Estate Sale
I was training an apprentice on how to dress and casket a deceased for a viewing. I took my time and explained to my new apprentice exactly what to do. I shared the names of medical tools that we were using and the reasons you would use each one. I explained the wrong and right way to position a deceased in the casket and the proper dressing methods. I wanted to share as much as I could so the next time, he could complete this aspect of the business on his own.
We moved the casket into the chapel and placed it in position. I told him I would vacuum the carpet and gave him instructions to, “Go get the casket spray.”
I finished vacuuming the entire chapel and finally the guy comes zooming into the chapel like he knew he took way too long for this little task. He shouted at me with a rag in hand, “I couldn’t find the casket spray, but I found Windex!”
I think my mouth actually dropped open in disbelief as I took a purposefully long pause and then said.................. "Johnson and Johnson does not make a cleaner just for caskets!”
For over three decades, people often ask me the same questions about what a piece of equipment was called that they had observed being used at a funeral they had attended over their lifetime.
Church truck:
This piece of equipment is also known to some areas of the U.S. as a casket bier, or most new apprentices would refer to it as “the thing with wheels”. The “church truck” is the accordion looking set of wheels that opens up to place the casket on and to be able to move the casket from one location to another. Typically you would see this at a large church funeral and the casket is upfront resting on the truck.
Hopefully you learned something new. If you ever have any questions please just let us know!
Head block:
This equipment is used during the preparation period of a deceased. The block holds the head at the proper elevation and position. Once the preparation (embalming) is completed and the deceased is dressed, the blocks purpose is a no longer needed and the pillow in the casket takes the place of the block. Typically these blocks are made of a heavy rubber or plastic material to be sterilized and reused. However, some funeral homes utilize a Styrofoam block that can be disposed of through bio-hazard companies. Typically one would utilize disposable blocks if a funeral home had a surge of cases.
(562) 961-9301
When my father died the first thing I asked my mother was, “How is dad going to fit in the casket?”. Being 12 years old and dad being 6 foot 7 inches tall, I was scared they “would do something to him”. My mother asked the funeral director Pauline what we going to do. Caskets come in oversized for weight but not for height. So the casket can be ordered wider but not longer. What we do is lift the legs so the feet are flat on the bedding. Imagine yourself laying on your bed with the flat of your feet on the bed as well, like you're reading a book. Now that the knees are elevated, less room is needed. To this day when someone asks the same question I share how I asked the same question at 12 years old and this helps the family be at ease.
Please reach out to us if you ever have questions about the process so we can help ease your mind and help your family.
When a person dies we pick up the deceased from the place of death 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, usually within an hour after death. The following morning the family comes into the mortuary to make arrangements. I meet with families in one of our rooms, called an “arrangement office”. These offices are quiet, secluded, and without distractions such as phones ringing, people talking, etc.
During this meeting, I often need things, such as copies getting made to getting family a blanket or water, etc. I had installed a button under the table that I can press that buzzes the main office to come assist me when needed.
For a few days, I was using the button but staff never came in to see what was needed. I figured out that the battery was “deceased” so I unscrewed and removed the button to replace the battery, and as I started to walk back into the empty arrangement room I received a phone call
So I stopped and asked The maintenance man to replace it “to the left of the chair that says reserved.”
About an hour went by and this woman came in to make arrangements. She was delightful and funny and we engaged quickly by laughing and sharing stories. When the woman brought out the deceased's birth certificate I reached under the table to press the button and it wasn’t there. I was trying to discretely fumble for it until it was too obvious and the woman asked me “Um what are you doing under there?”. I laughed and confessed to my secret button. As I looked under the table I spotted the button at the WRONG chair, and I shared “See might as well do things myself”. The woman responded with “I can help you move it,” and without saying another word this 75-year-old woman just spun the table around to my chair, I laughed so hard I almost choked.
About 12 years ago I lost my mother and both grandmothers all within 21 months of each-other. All three of these women could not be any more different, but as different as they all were they all had one thing in common. The common thread was their humor and laughter and that they easily could laugh at themselves when needed or make friends or family members laugh. I have built my practice on being direct with grieving families upfront about costs. No salesmanship, nothing artificial, and very transparent. Using my unique humor has helped thousands of people when they were just broken. One of the best moments in my career was when a Lady came into the Mortuary. She wanted her husband of 70 years to be cremated, simple no services. While we were signing documents my grandmothers “voice” or
“ energy“ came into my head so I ran with it. I said to the wife ”Your wedding ring looks so much like my grandmas." The wife put the pen down that she had been using and began to twist and twirl and show off the ring. She explained all the different meanings the ring had, numbers of years married, how many kids and etc. I responded with “If my grandmother was sitting here she would say something like,”...You must have been good in at least one of the rooms in your home, mine was the kitchen!” " The woman laughed and slapped her knee.
Don't forget about our Estate Sale happening tomorrow. The proceeds benefit a great cause and you might just find some brand new treasures for your home. We hope to see you tomorrow!
https://filehandler.revlocal.com/452428
So when we take our favorite loved classic car to a mechanic and the communication skills of the mechanic are poor or non responsive, we all know you can just take your car and leave.
So what if we loose A loved one in the middle of the night? You call a funeral home, they remove the deceased from place of death, and the following day when you sit down with a funeral director. If you feel uncomfortable for ANY REASON you can have your loved one moved to what ever funeral home you choose. Moving a deceased from one funeral home to another after death is common practice. Now, I’m not advising you to “put mom in your car“.
There are NO LAWS that prevents a family to care for their own.
I feel I can’t leave you hanging with that ending....in my three decades of service only twice has a family moved the deceased from one funeral home to mine with own car.
(562) 961-9301
Read more about us in this Long Beach Post News Article about the COVID-19 death surge.
https://lbpost.com/news/this-is-the-side-of-it-that-nobody-wants-to-talk-about-local-funeral-homes-fill-up-as-covid-19-deaths-surge
My mother was a very quick-witted, funny, gifted woman. She stood out by her “almost inappropriate” humor and the fact that she gained her commercial rating and became a female flight instructor in the mid-1970s. I remember mom making comments over the years on the way and how she would die.
“You kids will know when I’m gone, I'm not slipping away quietly”,
and she would laugh.
So decades later when my sister in law called me at the funeral home, sharing that mom was at the pharmacy and had collapsed with a massive heart attack while waiting in line for the cashier, I was stunned, sad, angry and other twirling emotions.
About an hour after the news, I remembered what she had said so many times in the past about her not going quietly. That memory made me smile and brought a tear at the same time.
Mom was pronounced deceased at a local hospital. Many deaths occur immediate like my Mothers but few deceased are pronounced at the scene. The place where the deceased is pronounced can override the actual location along with date and time.
(562) 961-9301
So I recently decided to have my hip replaced from an old track injury coupled with hip dysplasia and the beginning of a small amount of arthritis. I chose to replace now at a much younger age so I could revive better and faster, I was told by doctors that I could go another 20 years before really needing a complete replacement but it didn't make sense to live in occasional pain for 20+ years. I had it done 6 weeks ago and I'm back to 100 percent of cardio etc. So when we die and a person chooses Cremation, what happens to hip replacement, knee replacements, pacemakers, and other medical devices? The only implant that must be removed before cremation is the pacemaker. The pacemaker has a battery that’s explosive under heat and must be removed. The hip replacements, knee replacements, etc. stay with the body until after Cremation. The implants are too large to fit into an urn so the family signs a consent form so that the implants can be recycled, melted down, and reused for another person.
It is a myth that only a veteran can be buried at a military VA cemetery. Any veteran that served in the military can be buried at any military cemetery at no cost to the family across the US. This benefit also carries over to the veteran's spouse. It does not matter if the spouse is male or female. If the veteran's spouse dies first, they bury the spouse typically in a double depth grave.
Let’s say after the spouse dies and the veteran moves to Florida. The veteran can be buried in Florida at a national cemetery or can be flown home to be buried with their spouse. Also, a veteran and their spouse do not have to be buried at the same VA cemetery in case the surviving spouse moves to another state.
If a non-vet spouse places a deceased spouse at a VA cemetery and then remarried, let’s say “a few times”, and all those spouses are veterans, she can choose which husband she wants to be buried with. The record that I hold was a woman that died and had three deceased husbands, all at the Riverside national cemetery, The family chose her first husband for her to be buried with.
The government pays for the graves, the headstones, the opening and closing fees, and the burial vault. The government does not pay for the funeral home costs, viewing, funeral casket, transportation, etc.
By utilizing the VA burial program, this benefit will save the family easily $12,000 for EACH burial. So around $25,000 in total. Again, just the funeral home (mortuary) fees are not covered but I would advise to pre-pay those now and lock costs in no matter what state you live in.
(562) 961-9301
Spectrum News 1 did an article about the COVID surge on our funeral home. We talk about the sudden increase in deaths, the need for refrigerator trucks, and how it's not just older people. Check out the link below for the article and video
https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-east/health/2021/01/21/funeral-home-overwhelmed-by-surge-in-deaths-due-to-pandemic#
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SPECTRUMNEWS1.COM
Funeral Home Overwhelmed by Surge in Deaths Due to Pandemic
We have been following the news and seeing that ICU beds in hospitals are becoming more available. I overheard a woman in the grocery line yesterday sharing that “this is coming to an end” and she shared how beds are becoming more available. I kept my mouth shut, which if you know me personally is difficult, luckily wearing my mask, she could not see my look of disbelief and shock.
Hospital beds are getting freed up and in turn funerals homes are over capacity. Refrigerator trailer trucks are parked in every hospital coroner’s office parking lots and most all are being filled to capacity as well. Wear a mask!
By now, most everyone has seen the local and national news stories that had ran the past few weeks on the death care industry. I was blessed enough to be the funeral home and funeral director for this story. I agreed to do the story in hopes that anyone thinking they do not need a mask would change their mind. The funeral industry has become bottlenecked. If you can find a funeral home that can take on new deaths, formal services will be delayed. I just want you to know you are not being singled out. This week we had to start to turn people away, the emotional toll is mounting with staff and myself. After 34 years and caring for nearing 27,000 families I broke. I sat down to help a family and realized it was the 6th family member lost to COVID in past few months. My usual defense mechanisms to shield myself were depleted and I broke down with the family. This has never happened before.
If these words today save just one life, then it was worth sharing.
Please stay home wear a mask
Sadly this story is real and if you're reading these words it relates directly to you. After my 34 years as a funeral director, I have never witnessed such devastation as the Covid death numbers rise each day. I’m a small independent funeral home and we averagely care for 900-1,000 families a year. Since January 1st, 2021, fourteen days into the year, just McKenzie Mortuary alone has cared for 134 persons. 75 percent are vivid and 50 percent of those are YOUNG MEN without underlying conditions! This is not a virus for the elderly. I have personally cared for 2 families that lost ALL members of the household. With these words today, I hope just hope, that everyone not wearing a mask will quickly change their minds. Watch us tomorrow morning 1/14 at 7:00 am PST on CBS.
