I’ve attended two farewell cocktail parties in the past two years, both scheduled as a substitute for aging parent funerals. Another friend invited everyone to a ballgame to celebrate a parent’s life with a memorial picnic afterward. And most recently I attended an engaging theatre production to honor a deceased friend. While some of these families also held a memorial service, others did not. Interestingly, just about everyone opted for cremation.
An April 15, 2019, Washington Post article, The Funeral As We Know It Is Becoming a Relic, addresses the seismic changes occurring in death rituals to commemorate a family member. Written by Karen Heller, the piece describes the wide-ranging end-of-life choices, from golf course celebrations, to event planners at funeral homes, and even destination trips.
Strangely, this article about death is fairly uplifting.
Most Interesting Quotes
- By 2035, the cremation rate is projected to be a staggering 80 percent…
- An increasingly secular, nomadic and casual America is shredding the rules about how to commemorate death, and it’s not just among the wealthy and famous.
- The industry is literally thinking outside the box.
As Our Parents Age So Do We 