open or closed casket? - Freeze-Frame Radio

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

open or closed casket?

allycat · Cat Scratch Diva

I think for immediate family it should be their choice if they want to see the person or not. For anyone outside that circle I think it should be the deceased's choice if they made one or their family. I don't like seeing a dead person, it really bothers me to have to walk by and look.

Woo Hoo · The Chosen Woo

Hubby has a hard time with closure if he can't touch the person. So I guess mine will be open.

Sparky · Phat Cat EL Presidente

Unless they can make me look like I did when I was alive I would want it closed.

My uncle always had a butch haircut and when he died they combed his hair over to the side and it didn't look like him.

allycat · Cat Scratch Diva

Sparky wrote:

Unless they can make me look like I did when I was alive I would want it closed. My uncle always had a butch haircut and when he died they combed his hair over to the side and it didn't look like him.

I also think all childrens should be closed that is a horrible thing to have to see. I had a friend when I was little pass away and I still see her lying there. I can't picture her alive.

Woo Hoo · The Chosen Woo

When Hubby's grandmother was killed they put this horrible lipstick on her. Their excuse was that it was in her belongings. But it didn't look like her so we made them change it.

Molly · The Mediator

A pile of ashes, and one heck of a bash! I don't want people mourning over me, I want people celebrating my life.

Personally, I prefer it when people have closed caskets. I agree, I prefer my memories, I don't need to look at a shell.

disco strangler · Smiles everyone, smiles!

i think i would like mine closed. when my husbands grampa passed on, we went to the funeral home and i'll be danged if his (hubby's) aunt and mother didn't take out thier cameras! w-t-h??

i thought that custom was burried centuries ago! i was very offended

Zim · Chairwoman Of The Board

If the person were very close to me, I would like to be there for them or shortly after their passing, for my own sake. But I don't like open viewings...

Not to worry here, though. We're shoebox people... I've already bought my mausoleum spot - a two-person... but I told them if I end up being the crazy cat lady, I'm putting lots of small cat urns in there with me instead of two human ones.

Sparky · Phat Cat EL Presidente

I had a friend in high school that had unloaded a gun and was playing a joke at a party and didn't realize even though he pulled the clip out there was still one in the chamber and shot himself in the temple.

It was an open casket and I could see exactly where the bullet entered. It's still etched in my memory.

allycat · Cat Scratch Diva

Thats sick to take pictures, I would have been hard pressed not to destroy the camera. My cousin had a baby passed away at birth and they took pictures of her, so they would always remember what she looked like. Kinda odd but I understood their reasons. An adult passing they would have picture of them alive. Weird.

Zim · Chairwoman Of The Board

Taking pictures? That's got to take the cake... Ugh. When my mom passed away it was in her will NOT to have any kind of funeral. We had a party to celebrate her life, per her wiill, and I set up a five posterboard montage, each dedicated to a decade in the life. People were able to see her from birth to the last event we had photos for. I think that tells a lot more than an open casket.

JD The Jazz Doctor · Grand Poobah

I'm with molly here- a pile of ashes. scatter some in the Menomonee River, scatter some up on the trails of hawthorn glen. then go to the bar, play some good tunes, and rock out in rememberance....

allycat · Cat Scratch Diva

party? did someone say party? I went to a "funeral" at a VFW once. Everyone got drunk.

JD The Jazz Doctor · Grand Poobah

you know what would be cool- an irish wake followed by a new orleans style march to the graveyard!

Zim · Chairwoman Of The Board

I'm tellin ya' JD - write it up in your will - heck, make up the song lists to be played! They HAVE to honor it!

JD The Jazz Doctor · Grand Poobah

I had better do a will one of these years! I wanna have a cool funeral!

allycat · Cat Scratch Diva

I hate to think of young people having to write a will, it just doesn't seem fair.

Trish · The Procrastinating Red-Head

I want my casket closed. Find my best picture and put it there. Get some pictures of my kids and put them alongside the other one. I agree, celebrate life.

My husband had a friend who was killed when he was driving drunk. His dad had an open casket and requested that they not do much to make it look he didn't have an accident. All these teenagers were coming in and had to look at the results of what drinking and driving can do to you. It was a very, very harsh wake up call. I understand why the dad did it, but what a tough decision to make. I thought it very selfless of the dad, even though some people were very upset that he did it.

I agree on closed caskets for kids. It's so hard to deal with anyway. I went to a funeral for the daughter of a lady that I worked who was killed when she was 8. Her mother was so distraught and would walk up and stroke her hair and face. I bawled so hard that any traces of makeup were long gone. Besides my grandfather, that was the toughest funeral that I have ever been to.