Do you go to funerals?

An unusual hobby!

I go to funerals of family and friends. Did you go to your friend's funeral? Maybe he was keeping you company.

In Ye Olden Days, people employed professional weepers to pad out the mourners.
Maybe your husband should be paid and start a new career!

Concentrates your mind on your own mortality I suppose.
I wouldn’t expect non family or those not close or known to the deceased to turn up at the bun fight afterwards 🤔

Well it gets him out of the house for a while.

It does seem a bit strange to me,that’s the last thing I’d personally want to do, but each to their own I suppose, I only go to people I was close to or family funerals, it wouldn’t really enter my mind to just turn up

Funerals are horrible. The thought of going when you don't have to is beyond me. We went to one two weeks ago. A friend of mine of over 30 years. It made my husband finally decided that he's not having one. He said 'I'm not putting people through this'.

I go if I knew the person well, otherwise not. I don’t like them at all though sometimes afterwards you catch up with old friends you haven’t seen in a while so I guess that is a small positive.

Condolences for the loss of your friend Kate.

We go if it’s family and stay for a cup of tea afterwards, if it’s a friend we just go to the funeral and then come on home.

If we can get out of going at all we will.

I wouldn’t appreciate somebody I didn’t know turning up to a family funeral and staying afterwards to eat, drink and socialise.

I live in a village. If a villager dies, those in the community who knew the person (even slightly) go to the funeral to support the family and pay their respects. It's just the done thing. So I go, along with my neighbours.

It means that I've seen all sorts of funerals. Many are very uninspiring, a few are worthwhile, but all have been what the family wanted. I definitely want a proper funeral even if there aren't many people left to attend it! It might be a case of "dust to dust" but I don't want to be swept under the carpet, carted off to the crematorium without ceremony and then scattered to the four winds.

I didn’t have a funeral for my H and I am not having one for myself. All arranged with family.
I haven’t been to one for several years now.
At 85 it is too daunting and I was once told by a niece of my H , I suppose it will be you two next.

No I don’t go, and personally I have a burn and return funeral booked. There might be the odd occasion if it was a very close relative I would go but generally not for me.I try to be kind and nice to people while they’re alive and give them a bunch of flowers occasionally,not wait till they’re dead!it’s quite amazing how many people turn up to funerals especially people who have been in care and had no visitors whatsoever.. but very well attended…🤷‍♀️😬..

Crossed posts Septimia
My H isn’t scattered to the four winds.
He is in a box in my wardrobe waiting for me to join him, then the family know where we want to be together.😌

My friend would take time off work to go to the opening of an envelope, let alone a funeral! She’s been to funerals for staff members she didn’t know and from different locations.
I’d go to those for people I knew/know and now DH isn’t around, I’d probably attend some who I didn’t know, but on his behalf, if that doesn’t sound stupid? I’d probably introduce myself after the service, then leave.
When DH died during Covid, we were only allowed 15 mourners, but our cul-de-sac turned out to applaud his coffin as the hearse was driven out.
I’m not bothered about a funeral - I won’t be here to see it!

Thank you Smileless. She was 74, looked nowhere near it. She was slim, trendy and a lover of life. Cancer had other ideas.

No, I don't go to funerals. There does seem to be a lot more direct cremations now which is what I would organise for anyone I had to plan a funeral for.

Is he Irish kircubbin ? the Irish seem to love funerals and go to and many as they can get to even someone they ve just passed the time of day with. Its almost a weekly hobby

No I only go to very very few funerals in the last ten years
I ve been to two very close friends husbands my cousin and a close friends lad who committed suicide none in the last four years I don’t like funerals at all and want a very brief little goodbye for my family and then I can be whistled on the wind out to sea or in my favourite bluebell woods which ever they prefer

BlueBelle

Is he Irish kircubbin ? the Irish seem to love funerals and go to and many as they can get to even someone they ve just passed the time of day with. Its almost a weekly hobby

I wondered the same BlueBelle. My relatives in rural Ireland attend the funeral of every person in their parish for miles around. It’s the done thing and no matter how many hundred folk might turn up my cousin’s nosey husband would be able to tell you who wasn’t there !

Only family and close friends.

Only if I really have to. I’ve made the decision not to have one. DH is very keen to have one for him.

Only if I have to. I was at a funeral and only 8 people turned up, it was so sad as he knew loads of men from his local pub. I suppose he wasn't buying them drinks that day so they didn't bother. My sister wants go straight to crematorium and now I'm thinking along the same lines.

Only if I have to.

But at MILs funeral lots of people turned up for the coffee and buffet afterwards. A couple of old dears told me it had been a fantastic party 😦

Only family and close friends. My sister in law died very suddenly and unexpectedly last Wednesday so we are in the throes of funeral preparations now. My husband is a retired priest and so he will be taking his sister's service. Her children put no pressure on him to do so but he couldn't bear the thought of some unknown person from the crematorium making a hash of it so agreed to do it. I'm sure he'll go into 'work mode' but it won't be easy for him. Funeral not until Jan 13th. Christmas preparations have ground to a halt.