Going out with a "bang" eh?

I'm liking it Chad, I'm trying to leave my skull to my son, the rest of me will be burned with a a bow and a fly rod for my departure to the happy hunting ground.

The whole funeral thing is madness I once flashed up nearly $10,000 to fly my friend to the UK to be burned, have a few words said by a priest who didn't read out what he'd been told to, and then, here's the crazy bit, only then did we fulfill his wishes and take his ashes back to VA to be scattered at Harpers Ferry. Madness.

I think Silsbyj's steam engine loving/fueling granddad sounds way cool.

SBW

I don't care if they cut me up and use me for chum. I won't know the difference. But I don't see it happening. My wife has a fit everytime I say stuff like that.

Jim

Great minds must think alike......my buddies and I have for years said creamate us, grind it up, put the ashes in with the shot when reloading. Then the volley of, "you can't hit anything now when you are alive, why would I want you in my shell" comments usually get lobbed out, along with the classic: I'll poor a bottle of good whiskey on your grave........I'll just filter it through me kidney's first!! Ahhhh, the friendships of hunting..

As we own a little land and the law permits home burial, we plan to build our own crypt of our own stone. Laid to rest in the place we think best...A few stones throw from my pistol range.

I'm 62 and I've enjoyed the outdoors as a shooter and fisherman since I was a youngster. I've only been scuba diving (PADI-certified Rescue Diver) for the past 14 years. At this point in life, I've made decisions or assisted in the final arrangements for my parents, for a number of relatives and friends, and I marvel at the expense of some of those funerals. I'm also disappointed at the manipulative effort and appeal to emotion by some members of funeral industry at a particularly vulnerable time for family and loved ones. Though the timing is often a surprise, the eventuality of death is a predictable event in the cycle of life and we really need to document some of our wishes to provide peace of mind and closure for our loved ones, because many will ask, "Did I make the right choices? Did I do what s/he would have wished?" and there is no way to consult the deceased for the answers.
My mother chose to be cremated and asked her ashes be distributed over an area that meant something to her. A portion of her ashes were placed in a seastar-shaped urn (one of a number of creative options available), and I brought that to one of my favorite dive sites. As a diver, I can certainly understand Ms. Dunham's wishes, and I respect them.
I've documented my wishes for my final arrangements, and I don't intend to make a deep ho;e in my family's resources. Funerals do not benefit the deceased; they normally provide some support and closure for remaining family members in the grief process. When I cross the river, I candidly won't care if I'm in a plush, cushioned coffin or a shoebox.
This is a thought-provoking issue, not a morbid subject. I am thankful for my life but I accept that it's a temporary assignment and I can't take my toys with me. I'd rather be recycled as fishfood than take up space in a stone garden, but I think I've come up with a few good ideas that'll work for my family and friends.