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There seem to be a lot of them here in Boulder, CO, as I peruse the obits. They are usually in the form of a "memorial service" rather than a funeral. Sometimes they are held in an apt complex commons room, something like that.
If you pre-plan (and pre-pay), you can get help from the funeral home.
I just really think that's how it's going to turn out. My family will of course show up but people that I'm close to in places that I've lived like Seattle, Denver and Phoenix may not even be aware that I've died in the first place. That tends to happen when you move around alot like I have. I found out a couple of years ago just by accident that one of my very best friends from Montana had died about six months earlier when I was searching records on Ancestry.com and put in his last name and did a search because I was curious if his Mother was still alive. My family members don't even know who all of my friends are or how to contact them and I wouldn't expect some of them to travel across the country to my funeral even if they knew I had died because it just wouldn't be practical.
I must admit, when I see funeral percessions with one car, I wonder what's up.
They are ( funerals that is ) just for the living afterall.
I've told my wife to do whatever makes her comfortable, if I should go before her.
However, I'd make my tombstone into a granite bench for people to sit and relax on.
Might want to consider joining your local volunteer fire company.
I did. I know some of them will show up
This is probably a question that would only apply to the heathens of the forum like myself but I do wonder what sort of funeral arrangements could be made for an atheist that didn't involve a church or a religious ceremony. I am getting older and I've told my family that I want to be cremated and then buried in the cemetary of the small town of Laurin, Montana where my Father and a number of generations of our family are buried. I realize that funerals are really for the living because the dead are no longer with us but I don't like the idea of having a religious service at my own funeral because I don't believe a word of it. I don't think I've even heard of a funeral that wasn't religious. Does anyone have any knowledge of any alternatives?
By the way, I can just picture a few of the religious people on this forum at my funeral making statements like "well, that MontanaGuy's going to hell in a handbasket!".
When my brother died we had him cremated (It's what he always said he wanted) and just had a kind of memorial. All the friends and family gathered, we had a big pot luck dinner and people in the crowd told stories of the good times they had with him, the jokes he pulled and so on.
there were pictures of him from a baby to close to the time of his death.
We even held it at the nazerine college my sister attends, and her pastor (or whatever he was) did the service and kept god out of it (we all asked that god stay out of it).
My dad, who was an atheist, had a penpal relationship with a minister. They communicated for 10 or more years prior to my dad's death. From what I understood from my dad, they developed a deep friendship through letters despite their very different views.
When my dad died, my mom called this man and asked him if he would travel to our town and be the main speaker at the memorial service. When the minister spoke with us, he said that he knew my father wouldn't want anything to do with God in the talk. He was right. It was such a beautiful talk he gave because he knew so much about him through their letters. I had been worried that the talk would turn religious, but it didn't.
After the memorial service, the immediate family went out on the Chesapeake Bay near to my dad's favorite lighthouse and scattered his ashes. If he knew how his memorial service and 'burial' had happened, he would be very, very happy.
My dad, who was an atheist, had a penpal relationship with a minister. They communicated for 10 or more years prior to my dad's death. From what I understood from my dad, they developed a deep friendship through letters despite their very different views.
When my dad died, my mom called this man and asked him if he would travel to our town and be the main speaker at the memorial service. When the minister spoke with us, he said that he knew my father wouldn't want anything to do with God in the talk. He was right. It was such a beautiful talk he gave because he knew so much about him through their letters. I had been worried that the talk would turn religious, but it didn't.
After the memorial service, the immediate family went out on the Chesapeake Bay near to my dad's favorite lighthouse and scattered his ashes. If he knew how his memorial service and 'burial' had happened, he would be very, very happy.
Sounds like a great "send off".
Recently a non religious golf buddy of mine told me of a funeral he attended ( around the bay btw ) with some other golf pals for one of their Fathers.
The Father wanted his ashes spread around the greens of specific golf course he had worked for, and played at in his retirenment.
Apparently it was a powerful experience for all involved.
Location: In the North Idaho woods, still surrounded by terriers
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This old tread caught my eye
When my 30-year-old, agnostic son died we had a "memorial" for him...not a funeral. The room was packed to over-flowing and everyone who wanted to got up and told their memories of my son. His favorite music was played and his favorite foods & drinks were served. Then we had a HUGE bonfire at my home and everyone stayed up most of the night talking about my son, sharing stories, laughing and crying and remembering him. It was far more up-lifting than any religious funeral I have ever attended. People left smiling, just as they did when they were around my son in life.
I am a funeral director and I have helped plan several "non religious" funerals. They can take place in funeral homes, parks, beaches.... I have spoken at them and you can have a non - religious funeral with or without the body.
Attended one for a musician friend of mine. We took some instruments along and 'played him out'.
My will says...
"Body to be donated to medical science and disposed of without religious ceremony."
It might be different in Spain but here in the US it can be harder to donate your body to science than you'd think. It was smart of you to think of the remains after they're done with you. For people in the US wishing to do this, you'd be saving your survivors some grief if you do the research and make specific plans ahead of time.
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This old tread caught my eye
