by Debbie Robus

Created on: March 08, 2008

Most people would consider it irreverent - if not downright distasteful - to use the words "humor" and "funerals" in the same sentence. Most certainly, anyone who has recent experience with the funeral of a friend or family member may be hard-pressed to find any humor in the situation. But laughter truly IS some of the best medicine, and sometimes humor CAN be found in even the most morbid or tragic situation.

My perspective is probably a little skewed because my father was a licensed funeral director for nearly two decades. His behind-the-scenes stories helped me to see the frailty of human nature - and the humor of many situations others considered anything but funny. I am reminded of the time one of his fellow funeral directors dashed next door to a gas station/convenience mart that was adjacent to the funeral home chapel and purchased a candy bar. The pastor had just begun his sermon, and this fellow figured he had time to get a quick snack. His co-workers tried to dissuade him, but he was determined, forgetting that this particular minister had a reputation for extremely BRIEF messages.

The young man returned before the sermon ended and took a rather large bite of his Snickers bar... and the pastor said, "Amen!" There was no way to chew and swallow all of the thick chocolate, caramel and peanuts quickly, and it was now time for this young man and his co-worker to proceed down the center aisle of the chapel and undrape the casket. All he could do was hold the melting chunk of candy bar in his mouth and walk forward. Every time I think of how he must have struggled to keep chocolate from drizzling down the corners of his mouth, I chuckle.

Recently, the mother of one of my friends passed away in a northern state. She was quite elderly, and apparently, she had been a spitfire "in her day" and a rather dominating force in the family. She had requested a burial near her deceased husband, some four hours north from the funeral site in the central portion of the state. True to upper mid-western US weather in mid-January, the day was bitterly cold and snowy, and most of the local relatives were bundled in heavy coats and fur hats, while my friends and their children were not so warmly attired.

At the cemetery, a rather lengthy ceremony ensued on this cold day, and then the vault was placed over the casket. The vault itself was rather ornate, with extra hardware and decorative accents on the exterior. As the funeral directors began to lower the casket and vault into

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