funeral home

Stories 61 - 77 | << Prev 

Bad Economy Boosts Cremations Over Burials

They're getting even more popular, with families citing savings

(Newser) - The dismal state of the economy has prompted more Americans to choose cremation over traditional burial services to save money, reports the New York Times . Cremations have been steadily rising in popularity since 1985 (41% now vs. 15% then) but the spike has been more pronounced in the last decade....

'Dead' Baby Cries Before Burial

Startled undertaker was prepping newborn for her funeral

(Newser) - It was almost a miracle: A Brazilian baby believed to be dead started crying at the funeral home where an undertaker was about to prepare her for burial, reports the AP . Cops say doctors declared the infant dead yesterday, moments after her 14-year-old mother gave birth to her two months...

Funeral Homes the New Spot for Weddings

If you can get over the creep factor, they're cheaper and just as classy

(Newser) - Til death do us part, indeed: Funeral homes across the country are opening their doors to events centered around the living, from weddings to holiday parties, reports USA Today . It may seem a wee bit creepy, but as far as venues go, it's cheaper, and often just as classy. The...

Cops: Man Steals Game Boy From Teen's Casket

He also grabbed a light and 3 games, say investigators

(Newser) - Now that's low. Indiana cops have busted a 37-year-old man they say swiped a Game Boy from the casket of a teen killed in a car accident. The heist occurred during viewing of the 11th-grader's body at a local funeral home, said investigators. The teen's uncle confronted the robber outside...

2 Dead in Gang Shooting at St. Louis Funeral Home

Another two people are wounded

(Newser) - Two people were killed and two others injured in a gang-related shooting today outside a St. Louis funeral home while a service was being held inside, police said. Two victims died at a hospital, a third was listed in critical condition, and a fourth was believed to have been shot...

Stacked Bodies Found in Funeral Home Garage

Maryland funeral home loses license over treatment of corpses

(Newser) - Inspectors visiting a Maryland funeral home were shocked to find about 40 bodies stacked on top of each other in a garage, leaking fluid. The bodies, some of which had been donated for scientific research, were awaiting cremation, but "even somebody who donates their body to science... should be...

'Dead' Woman Wakes Up at Funeral Home

Colombian, 45, moves arm just before being embalmed

(Newser) - A Colombian woman declared dead of a heart attack moved one of her arms just as an undertaker was about to embalm her, doctors said today. Noelia Serna, 45, was rushed to a hospital in the city of Cali, where she was in critical condition in an intensive care unit....

Family Gets Grandma's Brain in Bag, Sues

Claims funeral home lumped gray matter in with personal effects

(Newser) - A New Mexico family is suing a pair of funeral homes they say gave them their grandmother’s brain in the same bag as her personal effects. One of the family members says he took the bag, which was unsealed, unaware that it contained the brain, and left it in...

Wal-Mart Enters Coffin Biz
 Wal-Mart Enters 
 Coffin Biz 
Oct 30, 2009 2:08 AM CDT

Wal-Mart Enters Coffin Biz

Funeral homes face competition from discount caskets

(Newser) - America's leading big-box store is now also a pine box store. Wal-Mart has started selling a range of discount coffins on its website and plans to expand its death products to include pet urns and memorial jewelry. Prices start at just $895 for a steel coffin. Funeral home owners say...

Backyard Burials Alive and Well
Backyard Burials Alive
and Well
Jul 21, 2009 12:33 PM CDT

Backyard Burials Alive and Well

Families see economy, intimacy in caring for dead themselves

(Newser) - A growing number of families are deciding against funeral homes and cemeteries, the New York Times reports. Many have decided to care for their dead at home, which they say gives them more dignity—and saves money in the process. “It’s organic and informal, and it’s on...

Final 'Green' Frontier: Cemeteries

Increasingly popular embalming- and casket-free option freaked locals out

(Newser) - As the green movement contemplates the afterlife, more funeral directors are seeing demand for a sendoff without the embalming and sturdy coffins of traditional burials, the Wall Street Journal reports. Natural burials won't necessarily put funeral directors out of business: Yes, simple shrouds are available, but so is a $300...

Cell Phones Taken to the Grave
 Cell Phones Taken to the Grave 
Dec 17, 2008 6:15 PM CST

Cell Phones Taken to the Grave

And call me later

(Newser) - Rest in peace? Some would rather have eternity interrupted by their ringtone—by taking their cell phones with them to the grave, a trend that many in the funeral industry say is on the rise. A UK survey ranked being buried with a cell phone the No. 2 funeral rite...

Fans Get Prime Seats for Eternal Extra Innings

Logo coffins, urns make case for 'long-term' devotees of Sox, others

(Newser) - Die-hard baseball fans can now continue showing their team pride even in the afterlife. A Boston-area funeral home is offering its first-ever Red Sox casket, emblazoned with the team’s logo and accented with baseball-bat-type wood. “It's really a beautiful thing,” the funeral-home director, a Sox fan himself,...

As Cremations Increase, So Do Options

Lower cost, greater personalization appeal to families

(Newser) - The cremation industry is booming, a reflection of tighter economic times and a push from consumers for more creative funeral options, reports the Washington Post. Cremations, cheaper than traditional burial, rose 7% nationwide in the past 5 years and made up 35% of the funeral market last year. Funeral homes...

Philly Corpse-Plundering Case Ends in Guilty Pleas

Masterpiece Theatre host among corpses

(Newser) - Two brothers who ran a Philadelphia funeral home pleaded guilty today to selling corpses, including that of Masterpiece Theatre host Alistair Cooke, to a company that trafficked in stolen body parts, the AP reports. They may get life sentences for allowing the remains of 244 clients to be dismembered for...

'Predatory' Funeral Industry Comes Under Fire

Big industry players take advantage of the bereft, says watchdog

(Newser) - The funeral industry preys on bereft customers, artificially raising prices and taking custody of bodies it has no right to handle, argues a watchdog group. The Funeral Consumers Alliance aims to push fair and environmentally friendly death-care practices, Newsweek reports. “Funeral corporations use predatory sales tactics and aggressive marketing...

Man Admits to Selling Stolen Body Parts

New Jersey dentist ran ring that harvested bones and tissue

(Newser) - A New Jersey dentist who ran a business plundering body parts from corpses in funeral homes pleaded guilty in Brooklyn today, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. Michael Mastromarino, 44, admitted to removing bones and tissue from two dozen corpses, which were sold to tissue processors for use in transplants and other...

Stories 61 - 77 | << Prev 
Most Read on Newser