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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask the worst funeral behaviour you've seen?

356 replies

Fishface77 · 06/10/2017 22:47

I went to a funeral today.
open coffin at home.
People were filing past the coffin to pay their respects when someone decided they wanted to get to the crem in a hurry.
Cue pushing and shoving and the coffin almost fell of the stand. Saved by the mans wife!
Also random women wailing. Seriously no
Need.

OP posts:
Pagwatch · 08/10/2017 16:35

That was exactly my face SarahJayne

I still can't get my head around the thought process.

Mummyoflittledragon · 08/10/2017 17:03

Engagement. Some people think they’re the centre of the universe. Confused

EverythingEverywhere1234 · 08/10/2017 17:30

At the funeral of a friends baby who passed away at 10 hours old, I found myself in the second row sat next to some fucking insensitive, ignorant twat woman who had her 8 month (ish) baby sat on her lap. The baby was gurgling the whole way through, as babies do, and would she leave? Would she fuck. Awful.

Elendon · 08/10/2017 17:45

This in particular from the article:

'One person emailed the council to say: "Cremation essentially is a pagan practice used primarily in eastern nations which have no knowledge of the Christian gospel. Despite the political correctness of 2015 we need a return to our roots. In Genesis chapter 15 we have direct reference to burial. God makes a promise to Abraham: 'Thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, and thou shalt be buried in a good old age.' Burial clearly was practised throughout holy scripture and there are many examples."'

treaclesoda · 08/10/2017 17:47

Elendon Shock And yet why am I even surprised?

Elledouble · 08/10/2017 17:51

Mine was... me.

In a misplaced sense of trying to lighten the mood, as we walked into the church for the funeral of my partner's much loved aunt, for reasons I can't explain, I whispered "bride's side or groom's side?"

I'm so ashamed.

PoorYorick · 08/10/2017 18:01

Pagwatch, what the actual fuck. If anyone announces their engagement at my funeral, I will haunt their reception. Poltergeist action on the cake and champagne flutes.

Elendon · 08/10/2017 18:14

I know treaclesoda. I do feel that sometimes I'm beyond surprised and then something else comes along and surprises me even more.

Pebbles16 · 08/10/2017 18:27

Cousins "nipping upstairs" to feel grandmother's bedroom one last time (i.e. rob the room of all jewellery)

RemainOptimistic · 08/10/2017 18:46

In the hire car for family members on the way to the funeral. "I'm glad the bitch is dead!" giggles my then 23 year old cousin.

The rest of the family Shock

Roomba · 08/10/2017 18:49

Many years ago, an old uni friend died of a heroin overdose. Everyone was utterly blindsided by this, as he had obviously hidden his addiction very well, had a highly paid professional job, was a very responsible intelligent guy - total bolt from the blue really.

A lot of people attended his funeral and the wake at his parents house as he had worked all over the world and was a very popular guy. This included an ex colleague who overdosed in the upstairs loo of his parent's house and had to be revived by an ambulance crew. My friend's poor elderly mother was so distraught, it was awful.

thatsahairballnotabloodysweet · 08/10/2017 20:10

Luckily this was after I went home from my DGF's funeral, my cousins wife decided to announce they were expecting a baby, to 'cheer ' my nan up Hmm none of us were surprised at this news really as she'd spent the day dropping heavy hints and whispering about the old making room for the new Angry

stopfuckingshoutingatme · 08/10/2017 20:15

Assuming your poor sister died fairly young pag that's off the fucking scale Sad

As the grief at a younger funeral is a different ball game To when someone has lived a full life

Callaird · 08/10/2017 20:22

Not at the funeral but at the chapel of rest after my mum had to be carried out in a heap, 15 year old me grabbed my 13 yo recently deceased brother and told him to 'stop fucking about right now, can't you see what you are doing to mum'!

In my defence, he really, really looked like he was just sleeping. I also don't really remember this, my uncle/godfather was supporting me and he carried me out (both of us) sobbing and told me a couple of years later. I just remember looking at him, can remember exactly what he looked like and what he was wearing and being carried out. There were quite a few people in there and none of them ever mentioned it.

honeylulu · 08/10/2017 20:27

@Elledouble you might smile at this.
My husbands younger brother died in his 40s. MIL was adamant she wanted the grandchildren at the funeral. Our son was only 3. We tried to prepare him, said uncle had gone and his body would be in a lovely box, and everyone would be sad etc etc.
So we sat in the chapel waiting, organ music playing and he announced loudly "when's the bride coming in?!!"

honeylulu · 08/10/2017 20:37

A few posters have mentioned photographs. I appreciate it wasn't the done thing previously but my husband and I had a photo taken of us blessing our stillborn son's coffin. I had had terrible denial and had refused to see him when he was born. The hospital had persuaded us to delay the funeral (I didn't even want to go at first). The photo is precious. It's the only one of both of us with him.
I carried the coffin into the chapel and I'm glad I did that one thing for him.

Callaird · 08/10/2017 21:39

I sobbed my way through my great aunts funeral but as quietly and discreetly as possibly. I'd lost my boyfriend 8 months before and it bought back so many memories.

Elledouble · 08/10/2017 21:50

honeylulu that is cute - at four months old my son objected to his aunt's marriage when the celebrant asked so I can sympathise!

mathanxiety · 08/10/2017 21:56

Puzzled
Linked into the speed with which folk seem to be taken to rest in the church or home, I'm just wondering if there's more of an expectation around passing at home rather than in hospital?

As far as I can remember from deaths in my own extended family, the timing is the same whether the person dies in hospital or at home (or in a nursing home). A funeral might be delayed over a major holiday like Christmas or Easter. The only other complications that might delay things would be an autopsy or waiting for people to make arrangements to travel from afar. My dad's funeral was delayed a couple of days so that I could get there from the US. My Dsis was kept on life support until I arrived too.

'Unfinished' hits the nail on the head wrt American funerals.

lalalalyra · 08/10/2017 22:18

Part of the delay in U.K. funerals is the wait to register the death. When my relative died recently it was a week before we could get an appointment at the registry office so couldn't even think of a funeral within that time scale.

YourVagesty · 08/10/2017 22:31

I once went to a funeral where a family turned up with their son dressed as a pirate and the daughter as a fairy, complete with wand. They ran around the church, ran around during the burial etc. It was just odd, and entitled I felt.

Anditstartsagain · 08/10/2017 22:36

At my grandads funeral my dad stood up and announced to the table he would be giving my then week old ds a gift of £500 everyone spent the rest of the time talking aboit his generosity little did they know he got 12k and ds never seen a penny.

He also hadn't visited my grandad at all during his illness that made him showing off worse.

Imbroglio · 08/10/2017 22:45

Callaird Flowers.

Gingernut81 · 08/10/2017 22:46

Not bad but highly amusing afterwards. My aunt turned up to my grandad's funeral in a white lace suit and said she didn't realise everyone would in black Hmm It got even better when we realised said suit was see-
through and she was wearing a black thong Grin