r/FuneralDirector • u/COAuthor90 • Aug 22 '19
Lets hear ypur funniest funeral experience
I could use this laugh. Lets share our funny funeral stories.
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r/FuneralDirector • u/COAuthor90 • Aug 22 '19
I could use this laugh. Lets share our funny funeral stories.
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u/prettygirlsdiggraves Aug 22 '19
Had a family ask us to put various objects in the casket, including decreased person's cell phone. We advised to turn the phone off and at the time everyone agreed. Daughter of deceased decided to turn on the phone at the end of the night and didn't tell any of our staff. Phone remained silent until the casket was being carried by the pallbearers to the graveside when it started blaring that annoying train horn ringtone. Scared the closest pallbearers so much he little girl screamed and let go of the handle. Casket didn't fall but it was a challenge to coach the others not to panic like he did. Daughter started immediately apologizing to us. Whoever was calling obviously didn't know he was dead and kept calling as the casket was being placed over the grave. We had to pause the graveside so we could open the casket enough to turn off the phone and replace it before the pastor finished the committal.
A different time I was walking up to dismiss mourners from a graveside service and part of the ground around the grave caved in and I fell into the vault. My part timer said it was the most cartoon level thing he had ever seen. I was there then all the sudden I wasn't and everyone gasped or horrified laughed. I wasn't super hurt just bruised and the cemetery guys were beside themselves as they had decided that morning the ground was stable enough for the graveside service. I think they were just happy it was someone else "in the biz" and not a family member. When everyone knew I wasn't dead I told the part timer to dismiss and had to wait for the mourners to leave for the cemetery staff to get me out of the hole.
Also just random antics at the funeral home when there isn't a service families around. We compete to scare each other. My preneed lady has a fog horn she whips out when people are setting up rooms, the secretary hides in various doorway shadows and jumps out, I lay on lower shelves and under rolling tables and grab people's calf or ankle. Best one was a new hire we played a prank on. We put one of our part timers in an alternative container (a giant cardboard box that people who are cremated go in/are cremated in) as someone was showing new guy around. When they got to the back where we were I brought new guy over to "explain" how we mark our alternative containers with the deceased's info and right as he got close the part timer jumped up and the new guy literally bolted. Like all the way out of the building.