Touching funerals were in the spotlight this week–thousands showed up to support New York City’s Officer Brian Moore, nearly 1,000 attended the funeral of a homeless veteran, and the mother of Sawyer Sweeten shared heartbreaking words as her son was laid to rest. On our blog, we examined the topic of the “selfie obituary,” and Justin Nobel takes us on a personal journey with the Inuit as he examines their perception of death.
New on the Digital Dying blog this week: Digital Dying Weekly News: 5/08/2015
Thousands of Police Attend Brian Moore’s Funeral
May 8, 2015–US News & World Report: Thousands of police from around the country came together at a slain New York City officer’s funeral on Friday, mixing grief with calls for respect at a time when law enforcement is being deeply scrutinized. Busloads of officers arrived from as far as California, Louisiana, and Chicago to line the streets on Long Island outside Officer Brian Moore’s funeral. Only five months earlier, the New York Police Department mourned two other officers who were killed in an ambush by a gunman who said he wanted revenge for police killings of civilians… Read the full story.
Here’s what an undercover probe of funeral homes found
May 6, 2015–CBS Money Watch: Federal inspectors found more than a quarter of funeral homes in six states failed to disclose casket prices and other information to consumers, as required, according to a regulatory agency. Investigators working undercover in half a dozen states last year found 27 of the 100 funeral homes visited did not give consumers an itemized general price list at the start of making arrangements, the Federal Trade Commission said in a news release… Read the full story.
Requests from the dead reach a wide audience
May 6, 2015–YourWestValley.com: Take a friend fishing. Don’t vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton. Buy a lottery ticket. And keep Mom away from my ashes.
These are among thousands of emotional, humorous, and sometimes snarky requests inserted into published obituaries attributed to the deceased or their families. And though complete strangers have always been among the audiences for messages from beyond the grave, digital death notices mean they now reach far beyond family and friends to people around the world… Read the full story
Nearly 1,000 Strangers Attend Homeless Veteran’s Funeral In Oklahoma City
May 4, 2015–Huffington Post: Hundreds of people showed up to Jerry Billings’ funeral last Friday, but not a single person in attendance had ever met the Oklahoma City veteran. Billings, who was homeless, died on Christmas Eve at the age of 69. No family members came forward to plan a funeral service, KOCO News 5 reported, so a number of veterans organizations stepped in to honor him with the help of Dignity Memorial — a group that provides burial services for late homeless vets, among other services… Read the full story
Read Sawyer Sweeten’s Mom’s Heartbreaking Funeral Speech
May 3, 2015–People.com: Just over a week after his tragic suicide, Sawyer Sweeten’s loved ones gathered Sunday morning to say goodbye to the 19-year-old they endearingly called Bubs. Gathering at a funeral home in Riverside, California, approximately 200 family and friends stood in silence as six pallbearers – including the former Everybody Loves Raymond actor’s twin brother Sullivan and his stepfather Jerry Gini – loaded Sawyer’s casket into a hearse trailer attached to a motorcycle… Read the full story.
