18 October 2011 – The Good Funeral Guide

The real thing

Gail Rubin is now on Day 19 of her 30 funerals in 30 days. Over on her The Family Plot blog she is delighting her many fans with a full account of each as it happens. The appeal of what she is doing is broad. She is compiling an important social document, an account of funerary practice in our time in the context of US cultural traditions. More compellingly, in our opinion, she is celebrating the lives of ordinary people.

Yesterday she attended a memorial event which we want you to know about. It was for Bert Nordgren. Here are some extracts from her report:

Though Bert Norgorden’s only living relative is his sister, a family of friends in Albuquerque gathered at the Elena Gallegos Open Space area for a memorial gathering and potluck lunch.

Herbert “Bert” Norgorden was remembered for many things: his love of herbs and teaching about their healing powers; an accomplished self-taught flutist; a talented photographer of plants, flowers and nature; a great cook and teacher; and a warm, wonderful man.

The celebration started with musician and singer Gene Corbin providing a powerful a cappella version of “Amazing Grace.” Bert and Gene had made lots of music together over the years.

About 35 people were in attendance. Toward the end, all raised their glasses of liquid – whether goats milk (a favorite of Bert’s), lemonade, iced tea or champagne. Marcia Landau said, “To Bert and to all of us. Thank you for coming out today. He lives on in our hearts.” Everyone then enjoyed the food brought for the potluck lunch.

Find Gail’s blog here and catch Day 19 as well.

Is this the most tasteless competition of all time?

Over at Theaodeadpool.com they have an annual competition. The idea is to guess who will die in the next year (they’ve got to be famous enough to merit a newspaper obituary). Editorially, it is GFG policy to present you with everything that’s going on out there. Personally, we’re squirming more than somewhat.

Here is an abridged version of the rules:

Send us 40 names. People you think will die (none of this pass away bullshit) in 2011 and get an obituary in one of the many fine news outlets that still produce obituaries.

If someone on your list dies before the year ends, I will write to you and ask for a new name.

People on death row are eligible if they a) die from a cause other than execution or b) their level of celebrity is such that their passing would have been newsworthy even before their crime and/or conviction or c) their crime or some element of their trial, conviction or incarceration is newsworthy enough that they have wide name recognition. Saddam Hussein was a valid pick under “b.” Ted Bundy and Timothy McVeigh would have been valid picks under “c.” Ordinary murderers are not acceptable. In many different ways.

There is no entry fee. There is a prize for first, however. Thanks to Mark in Maine, you will win Moxie Soda, generally two bottles. Some think this makes second place more desirable. If you win, you must be gracious and thank him, even as you’re spilling it down the drain.

After each hit, Bill, Brad or I, or a guest updater, will write either a respectful or irreverent obit and post it on alt dot obituaries with the relevant scoring update.

There’s more to it than being the luckiest guesser. There’s also a scoring system. You get more points for a young person than you do for an older person. There are also bonus points — you’ll need to check this all out — here.

Updates are recorded on the alt.obituaries Google Group, together with a well-written and respectful obituary.

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