long?
‘I couldn’t agree more. Not knowing for certain what the deceased would like presents their loved ones with the ultimate, unwelcome guessing game. It would be fabulous to have a concrete steer on their preferences while they are still here to tell us.
‘This is beginning to happen via pre-paid funerals, which are becoming more and more popular. Especially in our “either/or” category. This is where a couple will pre-pay for a single funeral and then whoever goes first is the beneficiary of that package. It can get quite competitive,’ he giggles.
Dave is simply brilliant, a living and breathing advert for why none of us should fear the inevitable. How we should all seriously think about what type of send-off we would like.
‘Whenever people talk about funerals, before any illness is around or any sad or unfortunate circumstances have evolved, it always ends up with laughter. Which is when people make the best and most positive decisions. And there is so much more funereal fun to be had nowadays.
‘For example, the choice of hearses has greatly improved since my Saturday job all those years ago cleaning the cars in Bradford Funeral Directors’ yard. There are motorbike side-car hearses, we have a Buddhist pick-up truck that is acquiring a growing reputation, and there’s even a tank hearse, if you fancy a bit of that.
‘Plus, we are trying to spread the word ourselves. We attend twelve county shows a year where our Land Rover hearse receives a lot of interest. Hugely popular with the rural and farming community. That’s the one I would want to go in.
‘There’s also all the different coffin options we offer: oak, willow,bamboo, banana leaf, and biodegradable cardboard, which is very popular nowadays. Then there’s the more pioneering options concerning different methods of disposal.
‘In the old days, everyone was buried, and I mean everyone. But with less space increasingly becoming an issue, cremations very quickly became more popular. Once, that is, British society had overcome the taboo of burning bodies – which for decades was extremely controversial.’
The more I listen to Dave eulogize and explain the intricate vagaries surrounding the history of funerals, the more I realize they are very much a subject of glacial evolution as opposed to much needed revolution. Indeed, much of the development of the way we say goodbye to our loved ones has been born out of necessity, like funeral directing itself, as Dave explains:
‘Funeral directing can actually be traced back to the Co-op joinery industry. Carpenters were asked to make coffins but then no one knew what to do next, hence the joinery profession saw a business opportunity and thus became the founders of our profession as we know it today.’
Well I’ll be, it’s as simple as that. I don’t know why I’m surprised – necessity the mother of invention yet again, as it so often is. And bearing in mind that last year the Co-op’s funeral division turned over £347 million, some business it’s become. So does Dave have a crystal ball as to where funerals can go from here?
‘Well, yes, I travel the world looking at how other countries and cultures are developing their burial methods and ceremonies. One advancement in particular that interests me is the disposal process, known as resumation or alkaline hydrolysis, to give it its technical name.
‘That’s how I think I’d like my remains to be dealt with. Far more efficient and environmentally friendly. It’s a process different from cremation but one that also results in the creation of ashes. Ashes as we know being very important to loved ones who then take them and spread them somewhere significant to the deceased. This is such a huge boon when it comes to helping people achieve closure.I’ve no idea why specifically, but that’s not the point. All that matters is they feel better for having achieved a more palpable goodbye.’
How good at his job is this guy?
As we
‘I couldn’t agree more. Not knowing for certain what the deceased would like presents their loved ones with the ultimate, unwelcome guessing game. It would be fabulous to have a concrete steer on their preferences while they are still here to tell us.
‘This is beginning to happen via pre-paid funerals, which are becoming more and more popular. Especially in our “either/or” category. This is where a couple will pre-pay for a single funeral and then whoever goes first is the beneficiary of that package. It can get quite competitive,’ he giggles.
Dave is simply brilliant, a living and breathing advert for why none of us should fear the inevitable. How we should all seriously think about what type of send-off we would like.
‘Whenever people talk about funerals, before any illness is around or any sad or unfortunate circumstances have evolved, it always ends up with laughter. Which is when people make the best and most positive decisions. And there is so much more funereal fun to be had nowadays.
‘For example, the choice of hearses has greatly improved since my Saturday job all those years ago cleaning the cars in Bradford Funeral Directors’ yard. There are motorbike side-car hearses, we have a Buddhist pick-up truck that is acquiring a growing reputation, and there’s even a tank hearse, if you fancy a bit of that.
‘Plus, we are trying to spread the word ourselves. We attend twelve county shows a year where our Land Rover hearse receives a lot of interest. Hugely popular with the rural and farming community. That’s the one I would want to go in.
‘There’s also all the different coffin options we offer: oak, willow,bamboo, banana leaf, and biodegradable cardboard, which is very popular nowadays. Then there’s the more pioneering options concerning different methods of disposal.
‘In the old days, everyone was buried, and I mean everyone. But with less space increasingly becoming an issue, cremations very quickly became more popular. Once, that is, British society had overcome the taboo of burning bodies – which for decades was extremely controversial.’
The more I listen to Dave eulogize and explain the intricate vagaries surrounding the history of funerals, the more I realize they are very much a subject of glacial evolution as opposed to much needed revolution. Indeed, much of the development of the way we say goodbye to our loved ones has been born out of necessity, like funeral directing itself, as Dave explains:
‘Funeral directing can actually be traced back to the Co-op joinery industry. Carpenters were asked to make coffins but then no one knew what to do next, hence the joinery profession saw a business opportunity and thus became the founders of our profession as we know it today.’
Well I’ll be, it’s as simple as that. I don’t know why I’m surprised – necessity the mother of invention yet again, as it so often is. And bearing in mind that last year the Co-op’s funeral division turned over £347 million, some business it’s become. So does Dave have a crystal ball as to where funerals can go from here?
‘Well, yes, I travel the world looking at how other countries and cultures are developing their burial methods and ceremonies. One advancement in particular that interests me is the disposal process, known as resumation or alkaline hydrolysis, to give it its technical name.
‘That’s how I think I’d like my remains to be dealt with. Far more efficient and environmentally friendly. It’s a process different from cremation but one that also results in the creation of ashes. Ashes as we know being very important to loved ones who then take them and spread them somewhere significant to the deceased. This is such a huge boon when it comes to helping people achieve closure.I’ve no idea why specifically, but that’s not the point. All that matters is they feel better for having achieved a more palpable goodbye.’
How good at his job is this guy?
As we
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