My beloved aunt was ill for a long time; I spent time with her over Christmas and said goodbye expecting not to see her again. She passed away the night before last in my home country in Europe, and her funeral will be in Monday. I am in my final year of grad school in Halifax, Canada. If I leave this afternoon/evening, I can be there by mid afternoon tomorrow, and I can just about afford the airfare (about $1500). I was thinking of staying until, say, Wednesday, to be with my parents and support them as best I can; but they told me yesterday that there would be no point in my coming. I'm torn.
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posted by jlibera
on Apr 19, 2013 -
22 answers
Can signing an 'Authorization For Cremation' form somehow make me responsible for my deceased father's debt?
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posted by KevinSkomsvold
on Mar 25, 2013 -
15 answers
Does the term "homegoing" have a wide use across Christian denominations?
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posted by psoas
on Mar 20, 2013 -
36 answers
My grandfather's sister-in-law died and her funeral is this weekend. My family wants me to drive my grandfather down to the funeral. I would rather stick pins under my fingers. But I know I need to do this. Help me suck it up.
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posted by calcetina
on Jan 2, 2013 -
57 answers
My grandad passed away today. My family have asked me to find a poem he might like, to read at his funeral. He was an engineer who would only read 'factual' things, such as instructional/educational books and later in life, a lot of biographies. He didn't go in for poetry at all that I know of. Would like to avoid 'Do not stand at my grave and cry'. Any reccommendations?
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posted by everydayanewday
on Dec 13, 2012 -
27 answers
Tombstone symbology and purchase: I'm tasked with designing, purchasing, and securing the installation of headstones for two men (a murderer and his victim) who died in the late 19th-century. What online resources exist that speak to the design and purchasing process and/or could help clarify period-appropriate symbology and appearance?
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posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj
on Nov 13, 2012 -
5 answers
Arabic translation help. In 2008 I had the honor of attending the state funeral of Mahmoud Darwish. I have a
poster from the event but have never translated the Arabic.
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posted by Baby_Balrog
on Nov 2, 2012 -
3 answers
I can't remember where I read it - can someone help me find a eulogy from a scientist?
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posted by msali
on Sep 2, 2012 -
5 answers
My estranged father passed away last Sunday. I've decided to attend the funeral. Please help me conduct myself with something resembling grace. Overly complex snowflakey stuff inside.
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posted by Ephelump Jockey
on Jul 31, 2012 -
23 answers
Please help me get a flight quickly & cheaply! This may have been answered in a previous question - if so, please point me in the right direction, but I need input quickly.
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posted by kbar1
on Jun 28, 2012 -
17 answers
My grandfather is 91 and we're helping him plan his funeral. At it, he wants Hawaiian music played. Apparently it's the music he used to hear at dances (in New Zealand) when he met my grandmother in the late 30s/early 1940s. According to the BBC, there was a fad for Hawaiian music in wartime Britain, especially a band called Felix Mendelssohn and his Hawaiian Serenaders, but I can't find much by them. Any ideas? I guess it would be a slow dance kind of song.
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posted by curious zoe
on Jun 6, 2012 -
15 answers
Name that Latin, Greek, or Italian poem... Can you identify this poem from my senile grandfather's sparse details?
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posted by BusyBusyBusy
on Feb 27, 2012 -
7 answers
My girlfriend and I are spending Christmas in Prague, and on Friday there will be a state funeral for Václav Havel. Does everything shut down for a state funeral? Are there certain types of business that don't/won't open? Should we make, or avoid making specific plans for that day? Will we even really notice a difference?
posted by alby
on Dec 20, 2011 -
6 answers
Help me identify movies that feature the recording of one's life events. I am looking to develop a strategy for a website or an app like
Path, and I would like to include references to movies.
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posted by jacobw
on Dec 2, 2011 -
15 answers
My partner killed himself yesterday, i am still in shock and haven't told people. I don't know how to deal with this and need help
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posted by servix
on Nov 30, 2011 -
59 answers
I have to fly out to Long Island, NY (Nassau Country) for a funeral. I don't have an appropriately somber suit or the time to get one before I leave, and I am what you call "big" (135 kg) but not that tall (175cm). Where can I get a suit on short notice, that is not too expensive (max. $500)? I would prefer not to have to go into the city, but will if that's my only option.
posted by derMax
on Nov 22, 2011 -
11 answers
I run a Worpress site, hosted by Dreamhost. We are about to make a memorial announcement. This will drive a lot of traffic to the site, including hundreds of comments and potentially thousands of hits. I am the only one who runs the site and I need to be prepared. What do I need to do?
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 24, 2011 -
7 answers
My estranged father passed away. Should I attend his funeral? Lengthy, snowflake details inside.
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posted by kitkatcathy
on Oct 14, 2011 -
35 answers
How to handle the funeral/remberance of my father, with my mother who has late-stage Alzheimer's?
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 2, 2011 -
14 answers
What would be a good piece for a classical trumpet player to play at his great-grandmother's funeral?
posted by teatime
on Jul 29, 2011 -
14 answers
What do I need to know to prepare for my parents (hopefully far in the future) death? What should they have ready? What about to make my or my partner's death/incapacitaton easier on the other? Snowflake details inside.
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posted by needlegrrl
on Jul 7, 2011 -
20 answers
Seeking recommendations for biblical readings for a funeral. It's my granny's funeral on Monday and I have been asked to do a reading, to be inserted into the service from the English book of Common Prayer. Trouble spot: I'm an atheist.
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posted by Cantdosleepy
on Jun 14, 2011 -
12 answers
Funeral Question: So my grandmother died. The wake is on Thursday and the funeral is on Friday. I've never been to a funeral before and not any Catholic services before. What's expected of me? What can do to help? Or at least not make things worse?
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posted by anonymous
on Mar 21, 2011 -
32 answers
Calling all Roman Catholics, Nuns, and Priests! Help me incorporate the Rosary into a Funeral Service for my best friend! (kinda long)
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posted by Tchad
on Mar 16, 2011 -
14 answers
Two questions. How do I write a last will and testament when it involves those I know across the internet? And, how do I ensure that certain...eccentric requests involving my funeral and/or body be carried out?
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posted by anonymous
on Feb 5, 2011 -
25 answers
I'm looking for a country music song. All I can remember is the artist, male, singing about the presidents of the US. If can remember correctly they were lining up and at a funeral (but, I could be wrong). Any suggestions as to what song it was?
posted by nam3d
on Jan 27, 2011 -
7 answers
My friend's dad just passed away. How can I help him? What can I do?
I live couple thousand miles away from where he is. Can you give me some suggestions?
Is it bad if I start compiling list of government agencies or funeral homes for them to call? What else I can do?
posted by Carius
on Jan 2, 2011 -
16 answers
Philosophical approaches to death and dying. I am prepping a college course; looking for great readings on philosophical questions about death, but also: world religious/cultural traditions about dying/funerals/mourning/afterlife, how people in death-related jobs see their work (undertakers, hospice workers, doctors, chaplains, military/police...), writings of people who have terminal illnesses, psychological research on preparation for dying, etc.
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posted by LobsterMitten
on Dec 14, 2010 -
51 answers
How do I make it through the next five days without falling apart? Completely overwhelmed with depression, midterms, medication, and a funeral.
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posted by punchdrunkhistory
on Oct 14, 2010 -
24 answers
Tips on coping with grief? My dad passed away a couple of weeks ago and since then i've been pretty much paralyzed with grief. Is there anything i can do to get over this quickly, or at least get a handle on it, because it's affecting my interpersonal relationships, and interfering with quality time with my 17month old.
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posted by ramix
on Jun 8, 2010 -
23 answers
A dear relative will likely die within the next decade, and I am trying to help her plan a natural burial in L.A., but am flummoxed by California's regulations and am unsure whether it is a viable option.
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 26, 2010 -
8 answers
Coworker is collecting money for family of another coworker who passed away. (It's customary here.) Coworker wants to know whether to make a list of those who donated. I advised to do so, just in case. WWMFD?
posted by SillyShepherd
on Apr 14, 2010 -
20 answers
On September 4, 1974 the bodies of 6 Soviet sailors were recovered by the US Navy while
clandestinely surveying the wreckage of submarine
K-129. In 1992 CIA director Robert Gates
"...as a gesture of intent, a symbol of a new era... carried with [him, on a state visit with Boris Yeltsin] the Soviet naval flag that had shrouded the coffins... [and] a videotape of their burial at sea, complete with prayers for the dead and the Soviet national anthem—-a dignified and respectful service even at the height of the Cold War."[1] Where/how can I watch this videotape?
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj
on Apr 8, 2010 -
5 answers
What songs have you heard commonly and uncommonly at funerals and were they selected by the deceased or the friends and family?
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posted by slavlin
on Apr 6, 2010 -
41 answers
Can you identify and/or translate the inscriptions on the vertical wooden beams in
this picture? Or provide some historical background?
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posted by Tufa
on Feb 4, 2010 -
14 answers
