If you’re seeking clues to funeral traditions, you might look at obituaries. Current obituaries often are found online. Older obituaries, such as the one shown at left, can be found at genealogical sites and through newspaper archive sites. Look for a specific fraternity, religion or ethnic leaning when you conduct your searches, and you might be rewarded with some information on whether tradition is important, or if it is eschewed for more modern rites.
Below is a sampling of some current obituaries. They represent a vast array of custom, tradition and modern ritual. Names in the first obituary have been changed or omitted to protect privacy:
Irish Obituary: (Cathal Brugha Street, Cashel, Co. Tipperary) June 7, 2009, (peacefully), at South Tipperary General Hospital, Meredith, beloved husband of the late Mary; deeply regretted by his loving sons, sister, daughter-in-law, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends. May he rest in peace. Reposing at Devitt’s Funeral Parlour tomorrow (Wednesday) evening from 5.30 o’c. with Removal at 7.30 o’c. to St. John the Baptist Church, Cashel. Requiem Mass on Thursday at 10.30 o’c., followed by Burial in the adjoining cemetery.
NOTE: Notice how the man died (peacefully), a point that is rarely made in American obituaries. The funeral includes a viewing at a funeral home and ceremony at a Catholic church with a requiem mass along with burial in the church cemetery (sanctified ground).
Soviet-American Jewish Obituary: Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, May 18, for Soviet Jewry and human rights activist Si Frumkin at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park Hollywood Hills, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive. Frumkin died Friday at the age of 78, with cancer as the cause of death.
Born in Kaunus (Kovno), Lithuania, Frumkin survived ghetto life under the Nazis and inhuman forced labor at Dachau as a 14-year old, before his liberation. As founder of the Southern Council for Soviet Jews in 1968, Frumkin was responsible, as much as any one person, for moving the issue of emigration for Soviet Jews from the political fringes to the mainstream. Later, he fought for such causes as Ethiopian Jewry, insurance payments for descendants of Holocaust victims, Israel’s security and against neo-Nazism.
LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who will deliver the eulogy at the services, described his close friend as a “one-man rapid response team for Jews in trouble.”
NOTE: Unless the person is known, the cause of death rarely is included in current American obituaries. Frumkin was buried in a Jewish cemetery, and a eulogy was delivered at the service. Note that there is no way to tell if Frumkin is survived by family in this obituary. Further research into the cemetery shows that this memorial park is connected to the Sinai Temple in Los Angeles and it is the largest Jewish cemetery and mortuary in the western U.S.
Swiss-American Fire Chief Obituary: Even his harshest critics acknowledged that former Milwaukee Fire Chief William Stamm was a man of integrity, someone who cared about protecting the public…Stamm died Friday of complications of heart disease and pneumonia. He was 92..”I’m 100 percent Swiss,” declared the chief, who was involved in ethnic events…He also served as president of the Wisconsin Society for Brain Injured Children. He became involved after attending classes with his granddaughter, Becky, who was born with Down syndrome…Visitation will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Schmidt & Bartelt Funeral Home, 10121 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa. Services will be at 7 p.m. Memorials are suggested to the Shriners Hospitals for Children and Masonic Health Care Center.
NOTE: I only included a portion of this lengthy obituary, but you can read the rest of the story, along with photographs. What I wanted to note with the above is that the man’s declaration of his Swiss heritage and his connections to benevolent charities. But, did these associations have anything to do with his funeral service and burial? The funeral home, which has seven locations, seems to cater to many different individuals, and they also specialize in cremation. Whether or not Stamm observed any tradition is unknown from his obituary. But, Stamm was a fraternal brother, as noted by the memorial to the Masonic Health Care Center, and he also may have been a Shriner. These memberships were confirmed with another search for Stamm. Also, a search for Swiss funeral traditions shows that cremation is common. But, as in any other country, the choice of religion in Switzerland often dictates customs and traditions.
Image: This obituary appeared in the Hudson Observer, Friday, November 22, 1918. If you click on the image, you’ll learn more about this obituary at Wikipedia.
Have you opted for cremation after death? If so, you may enjoy picking out your urn now. Even if death makes you feel squeamish, you can be entertained by the options available – anything you can imagine may be available or possibly created just for you or your loved ones.
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