This week we said goodbye to pioneering cajun Paul Prudhomme and to Jerry Parr, the Secret Service agent who was instrumental in saving the life of Ronald Reagan. We also witnessed the grief of Jim Carrey, learned how the world treats those near the end-of-life, and were inspired by the recovery efforts of a South Carolina funeral director.
What You Say To Someone Who’s Grieving Vs. What They Hear.
Oct 12, 2015–cnn.com: Jim Carrey’s former girlfriend Cathriona White was laid to rest Saturday morning, and Carrey came to pay his respects. Carrey was among about 300 people who attended the service at Our Lady of Fatima Church in the village of Cappawhite in County Tipperary, Ireland… Read the full story
Oct 11, 2015–telegraph.co.uk: Britons are increasingly returning to the pagan custom of being buried with their most prized possessions amid a shift away from traditional Christian funeral practices, new research among undertakers reveals. But while our ancestors’ graves left us great finds such as the Sutton Hoo Treasure, future archaeologists may find the items modern Britons tend to choose to accompany them on their final journey more modest but revealing… Read the full story
Oct 11, 2015–cnn.com: Jerry Parr, a Secret Service agent who helped save a wounded Ronald Reagan during a 1981 assassination attempt, has died, his wife said Friday. He was 85. Carolyn Parr said her husband died of congestive heart failure, three days short of their 56th wedding anniversary… Read the full story
Oct 10, 2015–thehoopsnews.com: A recent article in BMJ examined the idea of whether people prefer to die at home or in the hospital under the attention of caregivers, but then a number of medical experts weigh the intrigues and issues behind the choice to die at home or in the hospital, vis-à-vis the end-of-life palliative care that the patient is given in the face of age-related illnesses and pains… Read the full story
Related story: Dying at home leads to more peace and less grief, but requires wider support
Oct 8, 2015–nola.com: Paul Prudhomme, the Louisiana chef who ignited a nationwide craze for Creole and Cajun cooking and profoundly influenced American cuisine, died on Thursday (Oct. 8). He was 75… Read the full story
Oct 8, 2015–theboltonnews.co.uk: A model of Freddy Krueger and a half-submerged crocodile feature among the top ten strangest funeral flower arrangements, according to a new survey. Wilcox Limousines questioned 214 funeral directors for the oddest trends and unusual occurrences that they’d encountered during the course of their work… Read the full story
Oct 8, 2015–huffingtonpost.com: What constitutes a peaceful death can mean many things to different people, but it frequently includes the quality of care they receive in the final days of life. On Tuesday, The Economist Intelligence Unit released the Quality of Death Index 2015, a report that evaluates palliative care in 80 countries around the world… Read the full story
Oct 6, 2015–nbc.com: A pastor defied a deputy’s orders Monday, wading out to retrieve a casket floating away in fetid floodwaters in Ridgeville, South Carolina — because “this is America.” Wayne H. Reeves watched for hours Monday as a casket began floating away from the cemetery of New Canaan Methodist Church, NBC News reported… Read the full story
Oct 5, 2015–gazette.com: It always seems to take us by surprise when a human body throws off its mortal coil. And in the wake of death, families more often than not leave all the funeral arrangements to the professionals. Lauren Carroll, a former funeral director, wants people to know there’s another option – keeping the death and funeral inside the home… Read the full story
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