My Personal Journey into the Bowels of a Funeral Home

Not a subject many people want to talk about, but it's one that I had to experience first hand as part of training for my job. I visited with a group of other people who were there for the same thing I was. To learn what lies behind the scenes at a funeral home.

Fortunately there were no bodies on display in the viewing area, but the funeral director took us over to show how they place lighting just so, to make the deceased look more alive. Very eerie, but informative. They use a cluster of overhead lights that can help brighten and add depth to the deceased's face and hands, these lights offer different subtle colors and provide a reflective glow that radiates off the body. Therefore making Grandma looking like she is sleeping in Heaven.

The interesting part came when we were taken down stairs to the showroom. The showroom was set up with around 50 or so different styles and kinds of caskets. An assortment of colors and textures from fru fru fancy pink to the plain and the simple oak casket. They had a large green one that sported removable plates on each corner that could say Dad, Grandpa, Uncle, etc, and they had a removable golf plate, that could be used for the service then brought home later for memorabilia. They also had John Deere and tractor plates, for the avid farmer.

They had the gaudy black caskets made out of heavy steel, of course they commented on the heavier the steel, the more expensive they got, assuring if you chose this casket for your loved one the worms and ground critters would stay out for eternity.

Ever heard the old stories going around about people being buried in pine boxes and cardboard boxes? Yes, they do have them and they have used them. The pine box casket is basically a plywood box similar to the ones you would see back in the old west. These are for individuals who have no money or very little money to pay for a traditional casket. As far as the cardboard box goes, these can be used for individuals who have very limited funds or wish to be cremated.

Sadly they did have a separate small showroom of caskets for infants and very young children, they closed this room off as its really too depressing for most people to have to look at or even think about.

It was off to the embalming room next. A very bright white room, aside of its grim inhabitants. A single stainless steel stretcher with a rising head rest was displayed in the center of the room. Along the sides were plugs, makeup, dissecting tools and machines that are used to embalm a body. Very simply a small incision is made usually in the upper chest area, a tube is inserted and the blood is entirely drained out and travels through a tube, out another exit area of the lower body and discarded into the sewer system. When finished another tube is inserted and an embalming fluid is pushed into the body. Plugs are attached to prevent leakage.

There are several putties used to add more definition to areas on the deceased that are seen by the family. These putties can work miracles to bring a disfigured, scared or even missing body part back to life, well it least make it look that way.

Let me not forget to mention the atrocious distinctive smell that over powers this windowless room. A mixture of formaldehyde, bleach, embalming fluid and death. Yes, it's bad but it's real.

Next time you have to visit or next time you drive by, remember the bowels of the funeral home are not as peaceful and serene as the parlor.