Funeral homes offering a drive-thru option for viewings? | WrestleZone Forums

Funeral homes offering a drive-thru option for viewings?

Mitch Henessey

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[YOUTUBE]mq9My8BM4Qg[/YOUTUBE]​

SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) — Only a couple of families have taken advantage of a new service available at a Saginaw funeral home.

Drive-thru viewings.

Paradise Funeral Chapel recently started offering the option, which allows mourners to pay their last respects on the go. It was designed in part to cater to those with physical limitations.

The funeral home's president, Ivan (EYE'-vuhn) Phillips, says he expects more customers to opt for the drive-thru once they learn it's not a gimmick and is safe to use.

Curtains covering the window open when sensors underneath the pavement recognize the presence of a car. Mourners then get three minutes to view the body as music plays.

Phillips says drive-thru viewings are set up so they don't conflict with traditional indoor viewings.

http://news.yahoo.com/michigan-funeral-home-provides-drive-thru-option-064247396.html

Phillips drive-thru service is not the first in the country, but it's the first in the Midwest. The drive-thru service was partly created to accommodate the elderly or those with physical disabilities, but Phillips is hoping others will willingly choose the drive-thru service as an option, when they find out it's not a gimmick.

Of course, you'll have a hard time convincing others a drive-thru viewing is not a gimmick. Using common sense, you have to assume others will think of a drive-thru viewing as "disgusting" or "disrespectful." Still, you can't rule out the possibility of more funeral homes choosing the drive-thru service to give their customers another option, or to change with the times, if drive-thru viewings catch on.

On one hand, I can understand having an accessible service for the elderly and people with physical disabilities. Also, you have to consider those, who just can't handle the sight of a dead body up close, especially a family member or a close friend. There's a chance the drive-thru offers a protected safe zone for those, who can't handle the experience mentally and emotionally.

Although, after watching the video, I asked myself one question: will a car and a window really make big difference, when you're still looking at the body? If you're putting in the time and effort to pay your respects, and you're actually looking at the body, I have a hard time believing in a car and a window providing a more calming experience, or taking the emotional sting out of the viewing, when you're still looking at the body.

Personally, I can't imagine myself choosing the drive-thru option. After watching the video, and actually seeing each step in the process, the whole process strikes me as a horribly awkward experience. Sitting in the car, the music, and the three minute time limit? When I think about a drive-thru, Wendy's, Burger King, McDonlad's, and the bank are the first set of thoughts that pop into my mind, so I can't imagine putting the viewing of a deceased family member or a close friend in the same ballpark.

All thoughts and discussion regarding this article are welcome.
 
A three minute line wait to look at a dead body? Dude, that's like a whole 7 minutes faster than waiting in line at the drive thru at Steak N' Shake.
 
I would like to think that when I croak, my loved ones (or... you know... those who attend because of the free meal afterwards...) would spend a little more time than it takes to just drive by.

Why not use those little Walmart carts for the elderly and the physically challenged?

When I think of drive-through, I think of "cheap, quick and easy" and those aren't three things I think a funeral should be.
 
On one hand, I can understand having an accessible service for the elderly and people with physical disabilities.

Yeah, huh? Honestly, this is the first time I've read of this as a problem that needs to be addressed. Hell, if one of Grandma's buddies went to his final reward and her physical limitations are too large to allow her to walk into the funeral parlor, provide a wheelchair for the old girl so we can wheel her the fuck in.

Personally, I can't imagine myself choosing the drive-thru option.

Same here. In fact, I'm making a change to my will; when I go to the Cadillac Ranch, DO NOT put me on exhibit at a drive-in. DO NOT give the viewers of my dead body a chance to order a Quarter Pounder with fries .....and wait for them while watching me stink up the coffin. ("Have a look! Have a meal! One handy stop! At McDonald's, we do it all for you!")



Hey! How about a toll booth placed right before the viewing line at the drive-up? Every time a mourner pays their 50 cents for the privilege of driving by the dear departed, the bar beyond the booth opens to let your car through, while a bell tolls, sounding much like the Undertaker's "BONNNNNGGGGG!"
 
This wont catch on. There honestly cannot be a large enough need for this type of service. If you cannot roll yourself into the building with a wheelchair, then you likely are not going to be leaving the house\hospice\hospital anyways. I get where the owner could see this as a good idea, but it will probably turn away more business than it gets due to people thinking its disrespectful or creepy.



My loved one's have already been given strict instructions that they will likely never follow, but it's good to know they at least agree to my requests while I am still breathing & all..

When I go I want someone to take me around town Weekend At Bernie's style & snap photographs of our misadventures. I'm talking trip to the mall, roller coasters, skee-ball, crash a party on the beach- whatever looks fun, will make a good picture & scare the crap out of people at the same time. The photo album will be available for download on itunes & laserdisc copies for the hell of it. No sappy music or emotional line of family members waiting to be given condolences by people they barely know or cousins they only see at these sort of gatherings. Then put my ashes in some fireworks & give me a proper send-off. That's what I want instead of wasting thousands of dollars on flowers, digging hole in the ground & a carved stone\plaque.
 
Who the fuck would think this is a good idea besides the people who build these things.

I get that seeing the body and getting that closure is part of the healing process but the whole point of a funeral is for people to get together and comfort each other and give each other support.

This is one of the dumbest things I have heard in my entire life. And I don't mean that in the typical exaggerated way either. This has to be right near the top.
 
Oh my God this is gruesome. I don't know about the US, but here in Canada every public building or business, and a funeral home is considered both, are required to be wheelchair accessible, and have designated parking spots near the door for disabled persons. We call it paralyzed parking, rude I know. So there is no excuse for not being able to get inside.

If you can't get out of your car, go inside and pay your respects properly then why are you there in the first place. This is a horrible way to people to go about viewings, and I'm sure the morbid section of our culture will show up in droves.

Jesus Christ, who wants to be remembered as a drive thru attraction.
 

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