Drive-Thru-Funeral Home

we knew

Robert,
We knew this would happen sooner or later. Every business seems to have to have a drive thru. From pharmacies to beer outlets. Something else we knew or at least could have guessed is that California would have the first funeral home with a drive thru.
I am glad some of us can live at a pace that we are not so hurried that we can't take the time to show our respects for those that have passed.
Mike
 
I'm not certain that this is the first funeral home to offer drive-thru viewing. If myy old memory serves me correctly there was a place up in or around Detroit a few years ago that offered it. I either read it somewhere or saw it on television.
 
I cant believe it I mean wouldn't you want to take your time and walk in and see your loved one this its "wam bam damn thank ya mam" get out just like that ya know what i mean you cant give a last kiss you cant do any of that unless you do it to the glass...
 
I think we were first.........

Before 1900, my great=grandfather had to deal with a death here in Decatur which was quite "attention=getting" at the time.........I'm not sure what the circumstances of the death were. But, the ENTIRE TOWN wanted to come.

Anyway, he had the funeral, and the streets weren't paved yet, and it had been raining for some time. AND, he had just installed new carpet. So he decided to place the casket in the front window of the facility, and , in order to have a viewing, let the entire town walk past on the sidewalk outside.

So I think our family can claim the first "drive-by" viewing, although most were walking by instead..............does anyone know of an earlier example?
 
In about 2003/04 there was a FH with a drive by window in Nashville, TN when I was in embalming school. I think that funeral home has since closed.
 
This I believe, was the downfall of the Reigle Funeral Home-Sunrise Chapel. It's design made it look like a "Drive-Thru" funeral home which is never was.
 
standard practice in the old west. the furniture store or barber shop whichever did the deed in town would place the out law in the coffin prop it up for all to walk past and see before the trip to boot hill. them that could not attend the hainging got to see the results. had to do it a little faster in the summer though
 
Ok, I think it's a little weird too. Personally, I don't really even understand the idea behind an open casket. But what really blows my mind about this whole thing... why the heck are so many people taking pictures of the deceased?!?!?

:confused2:
 
In my opinion

Some traditions are best left alone. If you cant properly pay your respects to the family of the dearly departed, dont come a callin'!
 
The Junior FH in Pensacola,FL, I think, had one. I saw it on a video called "Death- The trip of a lifetime." This video was made in 1992. I don't know if the FH is still around. The owner said it was actually a question on Hollywood Squares. People would say no to the question, but it's true. Anybody else seen the video??
 
Stephen Mayfield said:
The Junior FH in Pensacola,FL, I think, had one. I saw it on a video called "Death- The trip of a lifetime." This video was made in 1992. I don't know if the FH is still around. The owner said it was actually a question on Hollywood Squares. People would say no to the question, but it's true. Anybody else seen the video??
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Got to love YouTube....

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwHdjdjicc0"]Death: The Trip of a Lifetime Drive Thru[/ame]
 
It's gone...

It is gone along with Willie....
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Drive-thru Funeral Home
The Junior Drive-Thru Funeral Home is still there and still appears to be "out of business". At least for the time being. [Tom, 07/20/2003] [RA: September 2005: George C. reports Junior's drive-thru funeral home was sold and converted into a church -- the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, with about 40 members. The former morgue has been converted into the church kitchen. February 7, 2005: Dean Jeffrey writes: "I just got an email from my brother about Willie Junior, the former owner of the drive-thru funeral home in Pensacola. Willie disappeared the day before he was to be sentenced on the corruption charges that ultimately led to the closing of the funeral home. A month later, a decomposed body was found under the house of an ex-limo driver for the funeral home, along with a few beer bottles and an empty pill container. The body turned out to be Willie." Feb. 20, 2005 - Dean updates: "His death was ruled a suicide as a result of drinking antifreeze."]

Drive-Thru Funeral Home Closed The Drive-Thru Funeral Home is closed. Owner Willie Junior was one of four (out of a total of five) Escambia County Commissioners removed from office in 2002 by Gov. Jeb Bush after being arrested and charged with bribery, extortion, racketeering, and money laundering. The funeral home, which had been up for sale, was a casualty of the scandal. Junior has since pleaded no contest to 11 charges and is awaiting sentencing. [Dean Jeffrey, 01/27/2003]

Drive-thru Funeral Home I live in Pensacola, and looked for the drive-thru funeral home. Sure enough, the Junior Funeral Home, located at 609 North Alcaniz Street, offers 'an optional drive thru viewing window'. Their motto: "In your time of need, put your trust in us. We're friends...like family." Although Peeping Toms might cause you to be eternally restless, you'll never have to come up with an excuse to get rid of the in-laws -- they're just passing through. [CTIRip, 11/24/1998]
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Tim Cenowa said:
There was one in Detroit probably in the 70's. I don't remember the name.
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I looked it up and came up with the funeral director's name Frank Given's the F.H. was located on Rosa Parks in Detroit MI info per (THE DETROIT ALMANAC PP.611)
 
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Adam Borkat said:
Ok, I think it's a little weird too. Personally, I don't really even understand the idea behind an open casket. But what really blows my mind about this whole thing... why the heck are so many people taking pictures of the deceased?!?!?

:confused2:
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An open casket is for a last chance to say good by, and for closure. Many people are in denile until they see the body in the casket. As for pictures, in the old days pictures were so expensive, thats the only time most people took a pic of someone to remember. To this day my family still takes pictures of our family in the casket. Really nice to remember the service and gives a chance for other family/friends to get a chance to see it if they could not make it.
 
Paul Steinberg said:
It is gone along with Willie....
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It's interesting that Junior's has been converted into a church; that's what the building was originally. I visited there in 1999 and found Mr. Junior to be friendly and accommodating, in spite of what he was allegedly doing "on the side."

(SL photo)
 

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