Gloryboats on the Market

As you know I live in Greater Minnesota (that area that is not in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metroplex) in an area where fishing and duck hunting is very popular.  Just the other day I was introduced to a product in the funeral industry that maybe has some potential in my area.  That product is Gloryboat caskets.  Here is their web-site should you want more information.

It’s interesting that in the funeral business we have always said that the “funeral is about the living”.  In my opinion the funeral and/ or cremation tribute should pay a tribute to the life of the deceased while focusing on the new future path of the living relatives that must move forward.  I’ve always tried, in my career, to balance those goals in the service and move the family forward.  I think as professionals in this arena, this is a discussion we always need to be cognizant of in advising families.

It appears to me, however, that as we have become a less churched society and families seem less restricted in what they are doing for tribute services, that there is more attention paid on the live of the deceased and less attention on the change, due mainly to grief, to the survivors moving forward.  Going back to the 1980’s when I started, caskets where pretty much non-descriptive outside of color, wood type, or the occaissional praying hands, cross, or crucifix on the casket corners or the interior panel.  Then Batesville came out with interchangeable corners, such as gardening pots, veterans insignias, and the like and again, in my opinion, things started to move in the direction of more emphasis on the tribute of the deceased and less importance on the help of the grieving moving forward.

As cremation has increased we have seen this phenomena move forward in all sorts of individualized urns, memorial folders, and the like.  In many cases this is good for funeral service in that it gives the business a chance for all sorts of ancilliary sales items that did not exist – outside the casket and vault sale – 35 years ago.  On the other hand, we have to continue to balance our professionalism between product sales and care.  When your business depends on cash-flow to survive, however  — that dance can sometimes be delicate.

So, what do I think of the Gloryboat?  Like many new things in funeral service – it is different to me.  However, I can see the product as a “right fit” for some in my community — I’m guessing that depending on price, etc. some of my friends would like to be buried in it.  Like a lot of things new and different — I certainly cannot be a critic until I’ve given the product an opportunity to see if the public accepts it or not.  As funeral service continues to evolve, I’ve learned to have an open mind about new product offerings that come out.

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