Bob CollinsA Saginaw, Michigan, funeral home may be onto something in our increasingly mobile society — a drive-thru funeral.
Paradise Funeral Chapel president Ivan Phillips says he came up with the idea after noting that elderly people have a difficult time getting into the funeral home, according to M.Live.
Phillips said he spent a lot of time developing the Saginaw funeral home’s drive-thru in order to respect the deceased.
It’s up to each family to decide if they want to use the window as part of a funeral viewing. For those who do, the drive-up window is only used when indoor visitation is not taking place, he said.
The viewing area can not be seen from the inside of the funeral home and the window is covered by curtains until a vehicle drives up. The curtains then open to reveal the deceased in their casket as music plays overhead.
A guestbook appears from a retractable door allowing people to record their visit and there is a slot where they can leave memorial contributions.
People in the vehicle have 3 minutes to pay their respects before the curtain closes.
One commenter points out the obvious.
“The point of going to a funeral home is to visit with and comfort the family and friends,” he said. “Seriously, some people just want to look at a corpse? That’s creepy.”
