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In Pennsylvania David Kime Jr. was known for his love of ‘Big Whoppers’ and his family opted to give him a last drive-thru visit. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.
“As you enter into the drive-thru you are going to see a memorial box where you can drop a memorial card or monetary contribution,” says Phillips, explaining just how the process works. Mourners drive on and push a button which opens a box that has a register book inside. Here people can sign their name and write messages of condolence to the family. Some may like the convenience that they offer, while others feel that the practice of driving up to view a body may not be for them.
The Drive-Thru Funeral Home of Compton
Instead, the funeral home director decided to pass out free coffee for two hours every Wednesday morning as a part of a community outreach program. They have unique skills and knowledge, which enables them to serve the community — and they make money doing it. Phillips got the idea for a drive-thru window last year when he was working with an elderly woman whose husband passed away, and she was too sick and couldn’t move well enough to attend his funeral. At the very least, drive-thru funerals create an opportunity for the critical process of mourning, and they create space for being able to appropriately move on. But a drive-thru funeral provided at least some solace and normalcy.
But Gorny points out that even in 2014 the concept was not entirely novel. She cites an early adopter of drive-thru funerals at the now-closed Junior Funeral Home in Pensacola, Florida. The facility started offering drive-thru services as early as 1986. Adam’s Funeral Home, located in Los Angeles’ Compton neighborhood, has also been offering drive-thru options for many years.
Patterson H M & Son Funeral Directors
Some funeral directors across the country have decided to distinguish themselves from their competitors. Several Compton residents said they would like to see a fast food restaurant combined with the drive-thru experience. That way they could view the body of a loved one while waiting for their food order. Sam Clampton, a Compton postal worker, said if he had his way, along with fast food the funeral home could install video rental machines. An AP video posted back in 2014 from Saginaw, Michigan features Paradise Funeral president Ivan Phillips, an early adopter of the drive-thru funeral.
People can view the body of the deceased even if they are estranged from the rest of the mourners. A quick Google search of drive-thru funerals gives you lots of media accounts that report about this “breakthrough” in the funeral industry. It may not be for everyone, and I am sure it will not become a popular trend, but the drive-thru viewing surely has its place in modern deathcare culture.
Andrews Chennault Funeral Home
The funeral industry that has often been criticized for being something of a ‘dinosaur’ is certainly now demonstrating some assimilation of modern cultural trends. The introduction by some funeral homes of web-casting of funeral services, was viewed by many as a rather morbid assimilation of modern technology and the rather stoic profession of funeral directors. A drive-thru funeral or visitation provides at least some sort of thread to connect a deceased’s loved ones to the other family and friends that knew them in life. While a full reunion may not be possible just yet, even seeing a friend from a car window is a richer experience than chatting with them on a computer screen. Instead, the visitors enter their names and addresses on an electronic device. They then give their condolence offering and are given the change to pray over incense.
By placing their loved ones’ bodies in a display case that enables drive-by viewing, families are spared the extra expense of floral arrangements and providing coffee and donuts. There is another more sinister reason behind the glass chamber viewing room. The gang shoot-outs at funerals in the 1980’s led to a fear by many of attending graveside services to pay their last respects. And the glass at Adams Mortuary is reported to be bullet-proof, not that the mortuary claim this is relevant to their community viewings today. Peggy Scott Adams is a Grammy-nominated gospel singer and owner of the Robert L. Adams Mortuary in Compton, California, one of the few funeral homes in America that offers drive-thru open-casket displays. The Los Angeles Times profiled Adams this weekend and made a strangely entrancing video about her business.
Haugabrooks Funeral Home
The funeral procession passed through the drive-thru and 40 burgers were served up to the funeral party. As Kime’s casket was lowered, his final burger was placed on top of it. Owner Willie Junior was one of four Escambia County Commissioners removed from office in 2002 by Gov. Jeb Bush after being arrested and charged with bribery, extortion, racketeering, and money laundering. The funeral home, which had been up for sale, was a casualty of the scandal.
The drive-thru open casket display allows relatives and friends the option of viewing a dead loved one from the comfort of their automobile. The convenience alleviates many of the usual headaches that accompany attending a funeral; ironing a wrinkled shirt, having to think of appropriate condolences and the inevitable irritation of finding a parking spot. No fuss no muss, and more importantly, no more worries about the new rims on your ride getting pilfered like the old days of indoor funerals. With today’s hectic schedules, the drive-thru mortuary permits people “on the go” to pay their respects without all the vexatious rescheduling that funerals used to demand.
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In the age of the coronavirus drive-thru funerals have become an increasingly popular option across the country. If you want something different than a traditional wake, funeral, and graveside service, then you need to share your desires with the people who will plan it. A funeral home in Chatham has a drive-up window, but they aren’t using it the way these previous business owners have. The entrepreneur who opened the funeral home in Memphis said he first learned about the idea from a drive-thru in Compton.
Two weeks ago in Granite City, Illinois, local figure “Stormin’ Normin” received a drive-thru visitation. And the Los Angeles Times reported a story about a drive-thru funeral in Madera, California. Drive-thru funerals have popped up in New Jersey, Las Vegas, Boston, and Kentucky as well. Cake offers its users do-it-yourself online forms to complete their own wills and generalized educational content about wills. We are not attorneys and are not providing you with legal advice. Many users would be better served consulting an attorney than using a do-it-yourself online form.
Ivan E. Phillips, president of Paradise Funeral Chapel, 3100 S. Washington in Saginaw, Michigan just added a drive-thru viewing area. You may be able to sign a traditional or electronic guestbook from the comfort of your vehicle there may be a place for you to deposit condolence cards. Our expert guidance can make your life a little easier during this time. Find out what to do and discover resources to help you cope.
They may feel more comfortable when viewing a dead body through two panes of glass. Some drive-thru funeral homes allow you to see a close-up video image of the deceased person. This enables the drive-thru to be open to different groups of families and friends at the same time. YP - The Real Yellow PagesSM - helps you find the right local businesses to meet your specific needs. Search results are sorted by a combination of factors to give you a set of choices in response to your search criteria. “Preferred” listings, or those with featured website buttons, indicate YP advertisers who directly provide information about their businesses to help consumers make more informed buying decisions.
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