Locals urged to consider living funerals
Holding a living funeral before you die is an idea more people should consider, a South Canterbury woman says.
Jo Taylor has held a party for a dying friend, and said although friends’ reactions were mixed, the man’s family were grateful.
Taylor, who runs the Taylored Moments events business, said people were ‘‘a bit spooked’’ by the concept initially, but were pleased to have the chance to recount stories from the dying man’s life.
‘‘We go along to a funeral and we always say we’re here to celebrate the life of somebody but they’re not here to celebrate it.’’
The former Timaru District Councillor suspected conservative attitudes in the region towards death prevented the concept from becoming more popular.
Betts Funeral Services manager Julian Donaldson said he had heard of ‘‘one or two’’ living funerals in South Canterbury, but the concept remained rare in the region. Donaldson said many people did not know when they would die, and celebrating a person’s life before their death could be uncomfortable for some families.
‘‘It sort of rubs home the fact that they’re going to lose them.’’
Timaru Christian Ministers’ Association chairman Rev Alan Cummins said he had attended a celebration for a woman with a terminal illness and thought it was ‘‘quite a nice idea’’.
It allowed the dying woman and her friends and family to ‘‘have a good time for a couple of hours’’. He was aware of similar events being held in places like Christchurch. Also a hospital chaplain, he agreed with Taylor that such celebrations could be ‘‘very positive’’ for those suffering from terminal illnesses or degenerative conditions.