In addition to the back yard memorial service last weekend for my friend Don, another service was held at one of the local churches for a father and his three children. The Lambert’s and a family friend, Robin Melton were killed in a plane crash returning from a KC Royal’s ball game. The loss rocked the community. A Celebration of Life unfolded in the church with plenty of photos and flowers. Several of the children’s teachers, friends, and family members spoke and the theme was clear: Make Every Moment Count.
Ms. Melton’s service was held in a conference room at Bass Pro Shops and was open to the public, with a separate visitation scheduled the next day at the funeral home and a grave site service the following day. Both Mr. Lambert and Ms. Melton were leaders in the community and larger venues were needed to accommodate the mourners.
In all the media coverage of these events, the word funeral was never mentioned. Actually, the only time the word appeared was if the funeral home was mentioned. Is the word “funeral” on the way to becoming an old world term? Even the word “mourners” is starting to sound archaic and contradicts the Celebrate Life concept.