Look around you. Do you trust these idiots to handle your funeral properly? Neither did Jim Gernhart. In 1951, this Colorado farmer planned his own funeral in detail and conducted a full dress reheasal so people would know what to do when he wasn't around to supervise them:
The Rev. S. H. Mahaffey's funeral sermon extolled Jim as a man who had done many kindnesses for individual townspeople without general knowledge (which is true), "Ain't that guy a preaching fool?" whispered Jim. And when the recorded strains of The Old Rugged Cross, one of the musical numbers he had personally selected, blared forth, tears came to Jim's eyes. "Real nice funeral, ain't it?" he sighed contentedly.
Link -via The Oddment Emporium | Photo: Life
My father passed away about 3 months ago. Because of the proximity of Christmas, he died on a Wednesday and we buried him on Saturday morning. That meant we basically had 3 days to pull a funeral together. This is a bit rushed, but according to the funeral director still isn't that unusual. Often with funerals, you're doing the equivalent of planning and executing a wedding in a week. Planning large sections of it ahead of time and with your loved one present instead of doing guesswork about what he would like, is brilliant.