McCanns investigation

[MikeWaters]

I've never really liked seeing the deceased in viewings. It feels false to me, as if the body is an offence to the essence.

However that's just a personal thing.

Behind IPU, I've probably most intimately dealt with the dead, in that I went to medical school and studied anatomy. I can't say I really enjoyed it.

[Frank Ryan]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

I've never really liked seeing the deceased in viewings. It feels false to me, as if the body is an offence to the essence.

However that's just a personal thing.

Behind IPU, I've probably most intimately dealt with the dead, in that I went to medical school and studied anatomy. I can't say I really enjoyed it.

Mike, were most medical students respectful of the dead?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

Ok, I'll tell it, though it will be like a hijack.....

When I was 13, my favorite uncle died. I was pretty upset about it, but when we went to the mortuary I was fascinated that to me, he didn't look dead. I asked the funeral director who was there why my uncle looked like he did and he told me about the entire process that takes place to prepare the deceased for a viewing/funeral. He took me on a little tour of the mortuary and showed me the equipment that is used. He helped me feel a lot better about my uncle's passing.

That's what sparked the interest in that field.

When I was a senior at Marist, I finally accepted that I wasn't going to play baseball for a living, so I decided to go to my other choice - a mortician. I spent my last year living off campus with a family in the ward that included the campus. They owned a mortuary in Poughkeepsie. It was beneficial because I was able to see a lot of the work that took place in that field.

So I graduated from Marist, went to So. Cal (Orange County) to go to mortuary school and returned home to Utah to work.

I did that for 12 years or so, and I loved the technical side of it - the embalming, etc. - but it got really tough for me to deal with the families. It wasn't so much that it was depressing, but more irritating. A death brings out the best or worst in people and there is always one family member that has to be a pain in the butt.

Then, we had a year in which we did funerals for 23 kids under the age of 8 (out of 400+) which was the most children's funerals that we'd ever done in a year. I decided that it was time to go when I had to pick up a little girl who died of spinal meningitis and she looked too much like my daughter and was the exact same age - she was born on the same day my daughter was.

I still keep my embalmer's license current in case of emergencies or to earn some extra money, but I'm glad I got out of it full time.

Interesting. In any case, I am glad someone is willing to do it.

I have read that there is a huge mortician shortage looming with all of the baby boomers nearing old age.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski

Interesting. In any case, I am glad someone is willing to do it.

I have read that there is a huge mortician shortage looming with all of the baby boomers nearing old age.

I've heard that as well. When they start passing away, there will be a lot more work to do. It's not really something funeral directors are looking forward to.

Another reason I got out is that I was getting tired of working with my wife's family. It's tough to do that and not strain family relationships.