pigtales
Franklin, GA
Senior Member
Joined: 01/24/2007
View Profile
 Offline
|
My grandmother, a GA resident, died in a FL hospital in January 2005. She had gone to visit my aunt and became ill requiring emergency surgery.
My aunt and her husband were told she had to be embalmed to be transported across the state line. They arranged for her to be embalmed by a local funeral home and then have her body flown to ATL for pick up by our local funeral home. The FL funeral home personnel told my aunt and her husband if they wanted to transport her themselves that they would provide the necessary documentation. They declined the offer. We were surprised when they shared the story with us. We didn't realize that was an option or that anyone would consider doing it.
This was just the beginning of the bizarre events surrounding her final arrangements. When the local funeral home personnel arrived at Hartsfield to pick up her body, the airport was under lockdown for a security breach. They were delayed in picking her up.
They were finally allowed to pick her up and bring her back to Franklin. You'd think the saga was over. We were having visitation on Friday night at the funeral home and the funeral was scheduled for Saturday.
Friday night the icestorm hit. We had to postpone her funeral. Power was out over most of the area. Sunday morning a funeral home employee called and said if we could all get to Franklin, we could have the funeral at the funeral home. My grandmother had specified that she wanted her funeral held at our church, but that was now not an option. We had to scramble to call everyone to tell them the latest development.
We got ready for the funeral, without elecricity or hot water, and made our way to Franklin in various family members' 4 WD vehicles. After the service it was decided not to have the graveside service due to icy conditions. We went back to the house with no electricity. Shortly after we arrived we got a call from the funeral home personnel. Her burial was going to be delayed for a couple of hours. They had dug the grave before the ice storm hit and put up the tents covering the grave and the seating area for the immediate family. Both these tents had collapsed under the weight of the ice. The tent over her grave had fallen in the grave. They had to clean all that up before they could bury her.
I know all of this seems farfetched, but it happened. Truth is stranger than fiction. Any of you who were in GA the last weekend in Jan. 2005 probably remember the icestorm. I know most of this post goes far beyond answering the OP's question. I hope none of you have to face losing someone while out of state and dealing with making all the arrrangements. I certainly hope none of you ever have to go through all the other stuff we had to endure. It just seemed like things were never going to stop going wrong.
Pigtales
2006 Jayco Jayflight 5th Wheel 27.5 RLS The Redneck Ritz
2006 F-350 Diesel Crew Cab Dually Big Bertha
|
jomasw
Paris, Tn.
Senior Member
Joined: 08/08/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
Thank you for all the responses (as well as the jokes and puns). As you can tell from the above post that things can get all out of whack. It can be a grievous thing for the remaining spouse to have to go thru all that stuff. I have already had our grave marker up where I and wife want to be buried so have already made that step. There were just a few answers I did not have. Again, thank you.
|
10tca01
Columbia Missouri
Senior Member
Joined: 02/25/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
Serena wrote:Making fun of someone else's actual loss or grief would be tasteless and cruel. Making fun of your own death is not. It is a well respected and much enjoyed literary form, and has been for centuries.
Come to think - I do believe a sense of humor is one of those many things you (theoretically, at least) can't take with you...might as well use it. Or if not, try to think of it as an inadequate but sincere tribute to Carlin. George rocked!
Why couldn't we take it with us? If God put it in us, wouldn't
he have a sense of humor also? So let's take it with us, shall we!
|
mainetom
Maine, near Augusta
Senior Member
Joined: 11/26/2000
View Profile
Offline
|
Veterans who wish to be buried in a national or state veterans cemetery should make that known and also tend in advance to the necessary paperwork. That much I've done, but this thread has me thinking of other things I could do now to make it a little easier for her in the event I expire before DW.
|
turtle2468
MD
Senior Member
Joined: 04/21/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
My husband tells me that he'll put a hook on the outside of our RV so he can put my ashes there so I can ride home in style!
|
|
|
PGR_Skye
Indiana
Full Member
Joined: 11/11/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
If the spouse is a veteran, contact the local VA representative. They will advise and assist in every way. Both DH (100% Service Connected Disability) and I (not disabled) are veterans and you'd be surprised at all they will do for you.
|
Ron & Shirley
Lake of the Ozarks Missouri / Donna Texas Winter
Senior Member
Joined: 12/13/2004
View Profile
|
I did ask a funeral director a number of years ago what would be involved in transporting a body and he said as a previous poster did that as long as the body is cremated you can transport it yourself. He also said there are papers to carry for transporting across State Lines. He said you would definitely want the body cremated before you started a long trip.
I have always wondered how much it is to have a body transported? I realize it would be determined by the distance/mileage. Has anyone actually had experience with this cost?
Interesting Topic.
Shirley
Ron & Shirley
2005 Itasca 37B Suncruiser W24 Workhorse Chassis
To Discover New Oceans We Must Lose Sight Of The Shore
|
PGR_Skye
Indiana
Full Member
Joined: 11/11/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
Haven't checked on the cost of transporting a body at the current time, but 20 years ago I thought about having my son's remains removed from Arlington National Cemetery and brought to a National Cemetery in Indiana. Contacted a funeral home up there and I believe it ran somewhere around $250 or $350 and I think it would have been by train. I know it would be a heck of a lot more now. For some reason, a new vault would have been required so that was included in the cost. I know it would be a heck of a lot more now. No, I did not have it done, but it wasn't because of the cost.
|
beaglebiz
PA
Full Member
Joined: 07/04/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
When my Mom's second husband died in Nashville, we had the body shipped home...local funeral home made the arrangements, and I dont know what it cost, but the body was embalmed in Nashville, not PA (where we live and he was buried)
I am a big fan of donating whatever anyone can use, cremating the rest and sprinkling over the St Lawrence River, my favorite place...My best friend wishes to donate her body to science
|
Kusani
Tennessee
Moderator
Joined: 10/12/2001
View Profile
|
This has strayed far from rving lifestyle so moving it to ATC
Check out the Rv.Net Blogs
|
|
|
