How much should a funeral cost?
April 10, 2012 9:08 PM   Subscribe

I had been told so often that funeral men tend to invent the law as they go along (for there is a fat financial reward at stake) that I decided to investigate this situation at firsthand. Armed with a copy of the California code, I telephoned a leading undertaker in my community with a concocted story: my aged aunt, living in my home, was seriously ill—not expected to live more than a few days. Her daughter was coming here directly; but I felt I ought to have some suggestions, some arrangements to propose in the event that— Sympathetic monosyllables from my interlocutor. The family would want something very simple, I went on, just cremation. Of course, we can arrange all that, I was assured. And since we want only cremation, and there will be no service, we should prefer not to buy a coffin. The undertaker's voice at the other end of the phone was now alert, although smooth. He told me, calmly and authoritatively, that it would be "illegal" for him to enter into such an arrangement. "You mean it would be against the law?" I asked. Yes, indeed. I took a deep breath and pressed on: "In that case, perhaps we could take the body straight to the crematorium in our station wagon?" A shocked silence, followed by an explosive outburst: "Madam, the average lady has neither the facilities nor the inclination to be hauling dead bodies around!" [The Undertaker's Racket, June 1963, The Atlantic Magazine]
posted by vidur (18 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: An old Atlantic article without any other context, could maybe use some updated info or explication. -- taz



 
Later made into a book: The American Way of Death, which was revised in the late nineties; nothing much had changed....

Anything by Jessica Mitford is of course worth reading.
posted by MartinWisse at 9:11 PM on April 10, 2012 [1 favorite]


On the other hand, my local funeral home is operated by a compassionate, fair, and honest individual who, when the need has come, has provided excellent service at a reasonable price.
posted by HuronBob at 9:16 PM on April 10, 2012 [1 favorite]


That is our most moderately priced receptacle
posted by Ironmouth at 9:18 PM on April 10, 2012 [12 favorites]


we managed to talk them down to a cardboard box, for the cremains, a cardboard box that by itself apparently costs about $100.
posted by Iax at 9:20 PM on April 10, 2012 [1 favorite]


Is there a Ralph's around?
posted by sswiller at 9:25 PM on April 10, 2012 [1 favorite]


This was shocking and extremely interesting when it was first published. Practically everybody read the book which followed. I thought people still read it. I don't know why a fifty year old article is being posted or quite what to say about it.
posted by Anitanola at 9:28 PM on April 10, 2012


vidur, a little context for the reason for posting this 1963 article would be useful. Presented here, 50 years later, is it a curiosity of a time gone by or an "it's still happening" post (as implied by MartinWisse)?

I ask because I've found, over the past 50 years, as I've negotiated this process for a number of loved ones, that (as I mentioned above) the process has been reasonable and handled in a compassionate manner by professionals that cared about the community they live in and the people they see every day. I am a bit saddened to see the profession painted in such a broad and negative article. What was the point of bringing this out of Atlantic's archives?
posted by HuronBob at 9:28 PM on April 10, 2012




Obligitory Monty Python Undertaker Sketch link.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:32 PM on April 10, 2012


When my dad died in 2006 it was ~ 600 $ for the cremation and ~ 250 $ for the marker and ~ 100 $ for the cemetery guys to bury the ashes box and file the county paperwork.

The cemetery guy put the ashes and the marker onto his parents' plot so that was 0 $.

It wasn't what I would call cheap but it didn't really seem like it was a total ripoff either.
posted by bukvich at 9:34 PM on April 10, 2012 [1 favorite]


This recent Atlantic article about monks in Louisiana trying to sell caskets was pretty interesting.
posted by benzenedream at 9:38 PM on April 10, 2012


vidur, a little context for the reason for posting this 1963 article would be useful.

HuronBob, I'm on an article-sharing mailing list, comprised (mostly) of my college friends. This came in, and I found it a fascinating read. To ensure that it is seen in the context of its time and not misunderstood to be a current article, I put the publication date in the link. I don't really have any more context, and certainly don't know anything about the state of the industry today. An interesting read, that's all.
posted by vidur at 9:40 PM on April 10, 2012


The classic Elaine May and Mike Nichols skit "$65 Funeral" comes to mind.
posted by Salmonberry at 9:44 PM on April 10, 2012 [2 favorites]


It can be an unusual profession dealing with an unusual (although common) time of life. The first time you experience a loved-one dying, where the death makes a major impact on one's family... nothing can prepare you for the experience, and the funeral home, and all the somewhat outrageous and somewhat illogical experiences associated with a funeral, are part of the experience.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:53 PM on April 10, 2012


Vidur, thanks for the explanation. It's probably a generational thing. My original context for this was in the 60's, to read it now is like reading an article about segregation written in the 50's, times have changed, the industry is more enlightened, as are the consumers to some extent (although, I don't doubt there is still a segment of the profession that operates like this).
posted by HuronBob at 9:55 PM on April 10, 2012


If I have the mobility and forethought to choose my place and time of death, I'm walking deep into whatever wilderness I can find, using every anti-tracking skill I have to get well and thoroughly lost before feeding myself to a nice tree.

I want to be compost. No marker. No ceremony, religious or otherwise. No remembrance. No cremation fees, no $100 cardboard box - no sentiment except for a very practical one: "Here are some useful nutrients I don't need any more. I was just borrowing them."
posted by loquacious at 10:09 PM on April 10, 2012 [1 favorite]


loquacious, don't neglect to take county disposal expenses and hazardous-waste fees into account....

Government really does get you coming and going...
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:13 PM on April 10, 2012


loquacious, you might look into "green funerals so that, you know, you won't scare the shit out of a hiker who finds you a month later.
posted by emjaybee at 10:16 PM on April 10, 2012 [2 favorites]


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