Story time! I know you all have been waiting for it! So after someone passes away, the next of kin has to come into the funeral home to talk over what they want to have happen next. In this particular situation, the woman who passed was younger and I was dealing with 2 children in their early 20s. As I do with all families, I walk them through every step of the process and answer any questions they may have. The children had decided that they wanted mom to be cremated. In order for me to cremate someone, I have to have the next of kin sign an authorization form. I go through every section of the form and on one part it asks about a pacemaker. The children let me know that mom does have a pacemaker and I explain to them that I have to remove this before her cremation takes place. The son asks for the pacemaker back. Not a problem. I've given them back to families before. Do I think it's weird? Yes. But to each their own. What the son asked me for next, I have never been asked. Well, not until this day. He asked that he have her skull back. In tact. To wear. On Halloween. Or around the house. He was serious. Dead serious. I had to take a deep breath and tell him that
1. After the cremation, her bones would be too fragile to extract the entire skull whole
2. Just no. No.
He was disappointed that he could not have her intact skull back. We continued with the rest of the arrangements.
Moral of the story, please never ask your funeral director for your loved ones entire intact skull back. You will make them fear for their lives and your sanity.
