A personal account of a Home Funeral. From 2012: Womyn Who Glow in the Dark Written and spoken by Sarah Elizabeth Schantz www.etsy.com/sh... Edited by Nicole Lepzinski www.vimeo.com/nicolelepzinski
I had my husbands funeral at our home... The day before the funeral, I had the funeral director bring my husband's body home so that my 9 year old daughter and I could spend one last night with him... We pushed our couch up to the casket in our living room, we opened the casket, set one end of our blanket into the closing part of the casket, closed the casket so that blanket would stay, then pulled the rest of the blanket over the couch and us so that we could sleep under the same blanket as my husband one last time, the day before the funeral... A lot of people thought we were weird and said mean stuff about what we did... I don't care... We did it our way... Our beloved family is still important to us even after death... I love your video and thank you very, very much
My Brother, who we lost in August 2016 had a home funeral, they brought him home the day before the funeral and the whole village came to say their goodbyes, then later it was just us family with him, he had an open casket and it felt much more relaxed than other funerals I've ever attended. His Wife and Children seemed so calm around him and it seemed so natural to be able to go up to him and stroke his head and hands and chat away to him. This was in Southern Ireland where this is the way they do funerals, the hardest part I found was saying goodbye to come back to the UK (his Wife is Irish and that's why they live over there). I think in a way it's helping me deal with my loss as I can sort of pretend he's still alive over there. So I'm not one of the lot of people who thinks you're weird Rita as we dealing with a loss is a very personal journey and we all have to deal with it the best way we feel is right for us. So sorry for your loss and for all of us who have lost someone close. May they all R.I.P and hoping we're all reunited one day xxx
Rita Dougherty Very touching post, your husband was a very fortunate man to have such a loving wife and family! My condolences to you and yours, it's unfortunate but you're one of a very few people who care that much to do such a loving act like that.... I wish I had a wife and family, at this point I fear I'll die all alone...
Thank you for sharing the most dignified, loving funeral I have ever seen. You are a wonderful Daughter and a Super Mom. You taught your children something beautiful.
Wow. What a beautiful way to pay respects to a loved one! Having a wake at home not only saves money, but the loved one gets the attention that is so deserved and assists with the emotional healing. So sorry for your loss. God bless.
When my grandma got really sick she decided that we should take her back home to her country of birth... & that we did... When she passed on she was brought to the house she built, raised her kids in & cherished so much. It was a nice service and we all got to spend time with her... Ofcourse me being an American & 15 at the time I viewed it as very archaic & 3rd worldish... Today as as a 30 hear old I 100% GET THE POINT! THIS IS WHAT WANT FOR MYSELF & MY PET
This was so beautiful. Thank you for sharing this intimate moment of your life with us - I hope we're all paid the same respect and love that your family showed your beautiful mother.
Thank you for posting this video. Death care.. is one of the last "frontiers" of individual, family, community empowerment. Everything old is new again and WE are taking back this sacred, painful and necessary ritual.. to the deep benefit of all involved. I am personally elated to see this happening during my lifetime. Blessed Be~
When I was a boy thats the only way they had funerals, they would clean the body dress it and most of the time put it in thier bed at home and display till they buried it. No funeral home involved.
Your strory is beautiful!y brother died of suicide andy father was less than 4 months later. I was not ready to have either funeral in our home where we grew up. I want this for myself. I want to grow old and live a fantastic life and teach my children how to love beyond this world, even though I do not have them yet. I want the kind of love that you gave your mother and then go to bed with my dad and brother in our conservational cemetery. Thank you for your informative video and much love to your family.
I think it's beautiful how this was done. Funeral homes rip people off when they are the most vulnerable...the prices are outrageous ...everyone should be given the option of a home funeral and cremation....I would never pay a funeral home for a funeral. My husband and I have both agreed that we will be cremated when our time comes. I think the way you did it over three days gives the loved ones time to grieve and give more closure...you get to take care of her body and celebrate the life she had here on earth. Beautiful.
I am impressed with the love and care your family gave to your Mother. She would have been really proud of you all. I had never thought of Home Funeral before.
All funerals should be done at home. We have all been taken advantage of by the greedy funeral business! At home would be more personal and comfortable
What a beautiful video. There are two errors - HOme funerals are LEGAL in all 50 states, however, in 9 states a funeral director must be involved in some way, such as showing up for the transport to the crematory or cemetery. Your mother was probably not purging. Tears happen. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I hope it helps many others to know that they, too, can honor and care for their own at home after death.
I think this was a beautiful and very appropriate way to send Your Might off !! How loving She must have been, for You are a Loving Daughter!!!! Thank You for sharing, this most precious time with us!!!!
Thank you for sharing your most personal experience. I love that the children came and stroked your mum's hands. They seem to have no fear of a dead body. That was my experience when my grandma and granddad died. They died at home and stayed at home till the day of the funerals, which were in 1957 and 1959, respectively. As a result of seeing them, I have no fear of a dead body. In fact, I feel very calm, when with a passed person. I am 63 and considering my own demise, far better to do it oneself, I think. I live in the northwest of the UK, nowhere near a natural burial tround. Traditionally, my forbears have been cremated but that leaves no place to visit, thinking of my daughter especially. So I am considering burial and there is a family plot I could open up, for around £750. What's that in dollars? About $1200? Bit much for a hole. Or I could have a new burial plot for £1450, approximately $2320! What a rip off!!! There's a lot more to be considered and, after all, this will be MY final wish, nobody else's. Gee, I seem to have gone off at a huge tangent. To get back to your Mum, thank you for letting me in. It has been a beautiful experience. Thank you. The Lord bless you and yours.
Very beautiful!! you did an amazing job setting up her "Home Sweet Home"Funeral. I love how you video taped it all and how you narrated the story. I would have never in a million years thought of this but after seeing this video it gives me something to think about for when I die. Thank you and May God always bless you and your family.
sorry for the loss of your mum x you managed to give your mum such a beautiful send off. it was not sad it was very comforting and I really felt the sense of your family joining and celebrating her life. this was lovely x mum looked so peaceful x x hope your all well x x
this is amazing and beautiful. i hope this becomes more of a trend, this method must provide so much more closure and comfort then the traditional funerals.
You are an incredible soul who should be cloned! I also love your endearing term, "bonus" daughter. I have met some of the coldest people ever. You on the other hand are refreshing! Thank you for taking the time to post this amazing video!
After reviewing this video and others, my family and I decided for us that we are against treating dead people that turn back to dust into ashes aka cremation or plant food. Instead, we believe in burying our dead intact. We are seeking to build our own caskets and find our own private plot of land so our families can leave us to naturally mummify whole in a cave tomb and untampered with.
Absolutely beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing this - a perfect lesson in how it could - dare I say should - be when someone dies. I know it's not always possible, but for me, this is just beautiful and perfect. I would love this for myself and my loved ones. X
Thank you so much for sharing this. I think we have mutual friends, and one of them shared this link on my FB page. I lost my dad in 2008 and wanted nothing more than to have him lying in state for a few days, allowing anybody to visit. I wanted to read to him at night, to cry alone with him, and so forth. It's hard for me to write this, actually. Anyway, I wish I'd known this was an option but I'm happy for your having had the opportunity. I hope your video helps others.
Your opinion not everyone’s ? The people who looked after my mum were amazing and even though I love what you did for your mum you make me sad when you speak the way you did .... x
I do not have a family like you do but I am going to have it but in my advanced directives to place in some mica I've purchased in my cremation box so my ashes sparkle too .
I am sure your Grandmother would be proud of you. but not everyone has a caring loving family to do this for them, so there is a need for all types of funerals and funeral homes.
What you done for your mother was amazing & I'm sure she would've been very proud of you. Home funerals are a newish thing in the UK. I don't know if I could've done the same as you. Hope you are doing fine now :) x
MiamiHeatFan why she has to be a hippie?.Some people can't afford a fancy funeral.A lot of people are doing home funerals now.Some religons still practice it and it's still common in the South and parts of the world.Do some research before you call someone out.
People get weird because they are scared to do things the way they want--they feel obligated to follow the "rules." Who cares. After seeing my uncle die at home, I feel that birth and death should both take place there whenever possible. I'd like to hear from home funeral advocates, however, who do NOT live in rural settings.
D. Garbato I agree both birth and are personal and sacred. I wish that my family would have agreed to this when my father passed. My mother and siblings said no. It would have helped with our loss better.
That does not look good to me at all. This may be fine and dandy for some folks, but you can count me out. Good luck on a warm and humid August day. Dead bodies laying around the house with just a little dab of perfume is a gamble. Hope that cardboard box has a plastic lining. Best of luck.
I had my husbands funeral at our home... The day before the funeral, I had the funeral director bring my husband's body home so that my 9 year old daughter and I could spend one last night with him... We pushed our couch up to the casket in our living room, we opened the casket, set one end of our blanket into the closing part of the casket, closed the casket so that blanket would stay, then pulled the rest of the blanket over the couch and us so that we could sleep under the same blanket as my husband one last time, the day before the funeral... A lot of people thought we were weird and said mean stuff about what we did... I don't care... We did it our way... Our beloved family is still important to us even after death... I love your video and thank you very, very much
I think that's beautiful, Rita. They are "mean" because they are removed from death. My condolences on the loss of your husband.
My Brother, who we lost in August 2016 had a home funeral, they brought him home the day before the funeral and the whole village came to say their goodbyes, then later it was just us family with him, he had an open casket and it felt much more relaxed than other funerals I've ever attended. His Wife and Children seemed so calm around him and it seemed so natural to be able to go up to him and stroke his head and hands and chat away to him. This was in Southern Ireland where this is the way they do funerals, the hardest part I found was saying goodbye to come back to the UK (his Wife is Irish and that's why they live over there). I think in a way it's helping me deal with my loss as I can sort of pretend he's still alive over there. So I'm not one of the lot of people who thinks you're weird Rita as we dealing with a loss is a very personal journey and we all have to deal with it the best way we feel is right for us. So sorry for your loss and for all of us who have lost someone close. May they all R.I.P and hoping we're all reunited one day xxx
Rita Dougherty Very touching post, your husband was a very fortunate man to have such a loving wife and family! My condolences to you and yours, it's unfortunate but you're one of a very few people who care that much to do such a loving act like that.... I wish I had a wife and family, at this point I fear I'll die all alone...
Rita Dougherty ❤️
That's beautiful. What a sweet way for you and your daughter to remember him 🤧
Thank you for sharing the most dignified, loving funeral I have ever seen. You are a wonderful Daughter and a Super Mom. You taught your children something beautiful.
Wow. What a beautiful way to pay respects to a loved one! Having a wake at home not only saves money, but the loved one gets the attention that is so deserved and assists with the emotional healing. So sorry for your loss. God bless.
I love that the cat was there.
My house was built in 1792. The last funeral there was in the 1940’s. I want a home funeral someday. Loved your mothers casket.
When my grandma got really sick she decided that we should take her back home to her country of birth... & that we did... When she passed on she was brought to the house she built, raised her kids in & cherished so much. It was a nice service and we all got to spend time with her... Ofcourse me being an American & 15 at the time I viewed it as very archaic & 3rd worldish... Today as as a 30 hear old I 100% GET THE POINT! THIS IS WHAT WANT FOR MYSELF & MY PET
So beautiful. Brings home what really matters when a loved one leaves this world.
This was so beautiful. Thank you for sharing this intimate moment of your life with us - I hope we're all paid the same respect and love that your family showed your beautiful mother.
Beautiful. You honor your mother truely.
i envy your strength & family time...beautiful
I've been thinking about this for my mother I'm afraid but I can't see her being taken away either.your so brave ❤ love to you and your family.
Thank you for posting this video. Death care.. is one of the last "frontiers" of individual, family, community empowerment. Everything old is new again and WE are taking back this sacred, painful and necessary ritual.. to the deep benefit of all involved. I am personally elated to see this happening during my lifetime. Blessed Be~
Very touching Sarah. Not only do I agree with how you cared for your mother, but it also reminds me of how I myself would like to return...
Wow this was so pure and beautiful!! Thank you for sharing your beautiful experience with us!❤
When I was a boy thats the only way they had funerals, they would clean the body dress it and most of the time put it in thier bed at home and display till they buried it. No funeral home involved.
What a beautiful story and gift you provided to your beautiful mother. Thank you sharing.
That was beautiful!
Your strory is beautiful!y brother died of suicide andy father was less than 4 months later. I was not ready to have either funeral in our home where we grew up. I want this for myself. I want to grow old and live a fantastic life and teach my children how to love beyond this world, even though I do not have them yet. I want the kind of love that you gave your mother and then go to bed with my dad and brother in our conservational cemetery. Thank you for your informative video and much love to your family.
Very sorry to hear about your brother and father. Sounds like you have a good heart on you
Beautiful!
I think it's beautiful how this was done. Funeral homes rip people off when they are the most vulnerable...the prices are outrageous ...everyone should be given the option of a home funeral and cremation....I would never pay a funeral home for a funeral. My husband and I have both agreed that we will be cremated when our time comes. I think the way you did it over three days gives the loved ones time to grieve and give more closure...you get to take care of her body and celebrate the life she had here on earth. Beautiful.
How beautiful. We should all have this option.
Thank you so much for sharing🙏🏻
Very sweet to share. It looked like a beautiful arrangement with your whole family in agreement. Thank you for making this video.
I am impressed with the love and care your family gave to your Mother. She would have been really proud of you all. I had never thought of Home Funeral before.
The most loving goodbye ever! My condolences on your loss.
Beautiful I am so glad your family was able to do that.
All funerals should be done at home. We have all been taken advantage of by the greedy funeral business! At home would be more personal and comfortable
What a beautiful video. There are two errors - HOme funerals are LEGAL in all 50 states, however, in 9 states a funeral director must be involved in some way, such as showing up for the transport to the crematory or cemetery. Your mother was probably not purging. Tears happen. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I hope it helps many others to know that they, too, can honor and care for their own at home after death.
This is oh so true. Here in the Philippines 🇵🇭 we still practice home funerals. It’s good to be one with nature. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
I think this was a beautiful and very appropriate way to send Your Might off !! How loving She must have been, for You are a Loving Daughter!!!! Thank You for sharing, this most precious time with us!!!!
Beautiful.
Thats how a funeral should be. A very natural and loving tribute.
THANK YOU
We used to do the same thing I was growing up. You did a Beautiful job. Your mom would be very proud of you . God bless you for days to come
Candid and informative. Excellent.
Thank you for sharing your most personal experience. I love that the children came and stroked your mum's hands. They seem to have no fear of a dead body. That was my experience when my grandma and granddad died. They died at home and stayed at home till the day of the funerals, which were in 1957 and 1959, respectively. As a result of seeing them, I have no fear of a dead body. In fact, I feel very calm, when with a passed person.
I am 63 and considering my own demise, far better to do it oneself, I think. I live in the northwest of the UK, nowhere near a natural burial tround. Traditionally, my forbears have been cremated but that leaves no place to visit, thinking of my daughter especially. So I am considering burial and there is a family plot I could open up, for around £750. What's that in dollars? About $1200? Bit much for a hole. Or I could have a new burial plot for £1450, approximately $2320! What a rip off!!!
There's a lot more to be considered and, after all, this will be MY final wish, nobody else's.
Gee, I seem to have gone off at a huge tangent. To get back to your Mum, thank you for letting me in.
It has been a beautiful experience.
Thank you.
The Lord bless you and yours.
That was beautiful and brave sharing. Thank you
Having her family with her was all she needed well done to you all my she always find peace
That is awesome what you guys did to your mother
Very beautiful!! you did an amazing job setting up her "Home Sweet Home"Funeral. I love how you video taped it all and how you narrated the story. I would have never in a million years thought of this but after seeing this video it gives me something to think about for when I die. Thank you and May God always bless you and your family.
I agree with this video 1000%! Great job!
beautiful.
Absolute lovely
Wow what a beautiful video. Thank you for sharing this 💕
sorry for the loss of your mum x you managed to give your mum such a beautiful send off. it was not sad it was very comforting and I really felt the sense of your family joining and celebrating her life. this was lovely x mum looked so peaceful x x hope your all well x x
Wow. Beautiful
This is lovely. Thank you so much for sharing. This is the way I want to go.
What a great daughter. Very well done.
this is amazing and beautiful.
i hope this becomes more of a trend, this method must provide so much more closure and comfort then the traditional funerals.
Thank you so much for sharing this very important experience for you and all of your family. Love
Dignity to the end, beautiful. If you'l excuse me some one is cutting up a 50 bag of onions in and I got to make them stop...
Thank you for sharing this is so beautiful! I hope one day my children will do this for thank each when it is time to go
Beautiful. Bless you
Beautiful
How beautiful thanks for sharing...
I thank you for this beautiful film.
I'm sorry about the loss of your Mother. Thanks so much for doing this video, it gives a person so much to think about.
Good for you! I love the fact that it was EXACTLY what she wanted.
Lovely.
You are an incredible soul who should be cloned! I also love your endearing term, "bonus" daughter. I have met some of the coldest people ever. You on the other hand are refreshing! Thank you for taking the time to post this amazing video!
After reviewing this video and others, my family and I decided for us that we are against treating dead people that turn back to dust into ashes aka cremation or plant food. Instead, we believe in burying our dead intact. We are seeking to build our own caskets and find our own private plot of land so our families can leave us to naturally mummify whole in a cave tomb and untampered with.
No doubt, you are well put together. Good job.
Absolutely beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing this - a perfect lesson in how it could - dare I say should - be when someone dies. I know it's not always possible, but for me, this is just beautiful and perfect. I would love this for myself and my loved ones. X
Thank you so much for sharing this. I think we have mutual friends, and one of them shared this link on my FB page. I lost my dad in 2008 and wanted nothing more than to have him lying in state for a few days, allowing anybody to visit. I wanted to read to him at night, to cry alone with him, and so forth. It's hard for me to write this, actually.
Anyway, I wish I'd known this was an option but I'm happy for your having had the opportunity. I hope your video helps others.
Wow Sarah, very inspiring, my mom watched this and is now considering a home funeral for herself. Thanks and tell Fish I say hi.
I can't even speak, this was so lovely, thank you for sharing~
you did a great job.
Sounds beautiful.... good for you. God bless!!
God Bless & thank you for this video post
thank you thank you thank you how exquisite.
awsome i wish every1 saw it that way...
That's how passing should be. God bless you and your family. Prayers for you and your mother. John 3:16
Your opinion not everyone’s ? The people who looked after my mum were amazing and even though I love what you did for your mum you make me sad when you speak the way you did .... x
I do not have a family like you do but I am going to have it but in my advanced directives to place in some mica I've purchased in my cremation box so my ashes sparkle too .
I APPRECIATE YOU SHARING THIS VIDEO. VERY TOUCHING
I am sure your Grandmother would be proud of you. but not everyone has a caring loving family to do this for them, so there is a need for all types of funerals and funeral homes.
Thank you for sharing. I pray I can have a home funeral
What you done for your mother was amazing & I'm sure she would've been very proud of you. Home funerals are a newish thing in the UK. I don't know if I could've done the same as you. Hope you are doing fine now :) x
You are a very strong woman,that's cool in my book!
Sarah - sally saucer says it best, I echo her sentiments. I live in CT, one of the few states where this is not legal
This creeps me the hell out.
Super awesome!
Thank you for sharing your family's story. Who did you notify, and how soon after her death, to be issued a death certificate?
wow, I really love this ideal, I wish I had known about this with my mom, I want this done for me and my husband..
That is supposed to say " Your Mother" sorry,. These machines are nuts....
♡ ♡ ♡
Boy i'll bet the funeral home liked that. YAY no money for them
You can't do that with every body folks.. such as certain cancer liquifying organs as of the onset of death or a bodybadly damaged in an accident!
😭😭😥🙏🙏
MiamiHeatFan why she has to be a hippie?.Some people can't afford a fancy funeral.A lot of people are doing home funerals now.Some religons still practice it and it's still common in the South and parts of the world.Do some research before you call someone out.
your English is good
WEL CAN YOU BURIED A DEATH IN THE GARDEN YES
You should have closed her mouth
The jaw is very strong and you need glue etc. I think she looked lovely as she was, all natural.
People get weird because they are scared to do things the way they want--they feel obligated to follow the "rules." Who cares. After seeing my uncle die at home, I feel that birth and death should both take place there whenever possible. I'd like to hear from home funeral advocates, however, who do NOT live in rural settings.
D. Garbato I agree both birth and are personal and sacred. I wish that my family would have agreed to this when my father passed. My mother and siblings said no. It would have helped with our loss better.
That does not look good to me at all. This may be fine and dandy for some folks, but you can count me out. Good luck on a warm and humid August day. Dead bodies laying around the house with just a little dab of perfume is a gamble. Hope that cardboard box has a plastic lining. Best of luck.
Dry ice is used to preserve the body, usually tucked away under blankets.
Glad it’s banned in Michigan
blah blah blah
This. Is. Love
Beautiful!