This week’s news highlights a group of students who volunteer to act as pallbearers for military members who would otherwise die alone. We also learned of a work being done to learn more about end-of-life visits from formerly passed loved ones. Other headlines cover the history of death midwives, a backyard visit from a coffin, and a good spirited funeral for a friend lost to a girlfriend.
New on the blog this week:
George Bell, and the Lonely Deaths of Japan
New Orleans Death Talk: Decatur Street Artist Blue Fletcher
Weekly News 10/26/2015: Detroit Jesuit School Students Honor the Military
University of Detroit Jesuit School students Nick Benedetto, Joshua Gonzalez, Tom Lennon, Leonard Froehlich, Noah Tylutki and Michael O’Connor serve as pallbearers in the funeral of a homeless veteran. (Photo Source: University of Detroit Jesuit School via today.com).
‘A final tribute’: Teens serve as pallbearers for homeless military veterans
Oct 28, 2015-today.com: A group of high school students are volunteering to serve as pallbearers for fallen military members who otherwise would have been buried alone.”This was an opportunity to give something to somebody who finished their life on the fringe of society,” said Tom Lennon, 17, a senior at the University of Detroit Jesuit School… Read the full story
Near-death experiences: Visions of dead loved ones at end of life ‘are comforting part of dying process’
Oct 26, 2015-ibtimes.co.uk: Visions and dreams of deceased friends and relatives in the final weeks of life are a “comforting” part of the dying process, a study has found. Scientists from Canisius College in New York were studying the phenomenon of end-of-life dreams and visions (ELDVs), which are well documented throughout history and cultures, but have been little studied in scientific literature… Read the full story
Surprise! Lana del Rey talked about death and dying in another interview
Oct 25, 2015-papermag.com: While speaking to Billboard, the artist formerly known as Lizzy Grant’s tireless campaign to out-melancholy humanity doubled by informing us she was more precocious and reflective as a child than me and you and everyone who ever was… Read the full story
How Emory University Is Getting Students To Ask The Big Questions
Oct 23, 2015-huffingtonpost.com: Each year, dozens of undergraduate and graduate students arrive at Emory University to think about the big questions as they study under faculty members in the Department of Religious Studies. By looking at topics ranging from Greek and Roman philosophy, to ancient Hinduism and contemporary Islam, professors aim not only to equip students with the right credits for a degree and skills for the workplace, but also to help them ask and think about the cosmic questions any emerging adult encounters… Read the full story
The death midwife: Women were the original undertakers
Oct 23, 2015-fusion.net: With Halloween approaching, skeletons are coming out of the closet—including those belonging to the death industry, which has a pretty spooky history in this country. What’s spookier than death itself? Only the commodification and industrialization of death! In her new book Greening Death: Reclaiming Burial Practices and Restoring Our Tie to the Earth, author Suzanne Kelly explores this history, offering a fascinating… Read the full story
A special place was created for David Geiser’s casket on David’s own truck which led his fellow truck drivers to Maranatha Mennonite Church for his funeral Friday morning, Oct 23, 2015. David Geiser was a self-employed truck driver for Isaacson Truckline. (Photo by Sandra J. Milburn/The Hutchinson News via hutchnews.com)
Honoring one of their own: Convoy of peers en route to beloved trucker’s funeral a poignant act of loyalty
Oct 23, 2015-hutchnews.com: Next to family, truck driving was David Geiser’s passion. So he would have loved seeing the convoy of 35 semi-tractor cabs escorting his casket along Hutchinson’s Main Street to his funeral service at Maranatha Mennonite Church on Friday morning… Read the full story
Unearthed coffin creates Halloween fright for Elm Street woman
Oct 23, 2015-wtvm.com: When getting into the spirit of Halloween, some people have fake coffins in their front yards. But one Texas woman found a real one in her backyard. It was a real life nightmare on Elm Street for Deedee Oliveira. “It’s just a crazy story because it’s almost Halloween,” she said… Read the full story
The World’s First Permanent Death Cafe Could Soon Come To London
Oct 21, 2015-huffingtonpost.com: Every month, dozens of death cafes take place around the world. The pop-up events, which happen in American cities in nearly every state and in nations across six continents, are part of a volunteer-led, grassroots movement to get people from all walks of life to talk candidly about their views and experiences regarding dying… Read the full story
Guys Hold A Fake Funeral For Friend Who Is Always With His Girlfriend
Oct 21, 2015-elitedaily.com: Everyone has that one friend who completely vanishes off the face of the Earth after falling in love. It’s inevitable, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. People react to finding love differently. After meeting Jess Ferguson, 20-year-old Keiran Cable from South Wales apparently disappeared and left 50 of his friends in the past… Read the full story
