Minnesota may pass legislation allowing families to care for their own dead. There is a bill that would allow the public to care for their own dead. This is a step forward for the home funeral movement and provides a lower cost funeral alternative for the general public. As economic trouble in the nation continues more and more folks are returning to lower cost funeral(s), and for some the home funeral.
“Carolyn Laine, DFL-Columbia Heights, is sponsoring a bill that would allow families to wash, dress and transport their dead, keep them on dry ice for several days and to host larger viewings than permitted by current law.
The measure, which has a bipartisan group of 22 co-sponsors, passed the House Health Care and Human Services Policy Tuesday on a voice vote. It next moves on to the full House.
The law( Minnesota) now requires bodies to be quickly embalmed or cremated after death and limits who can view unembalmed bodies.
Recently widowed Heather Halen, of Minneapolis, said her ability to wash and dress her husband continued the intimacy they’d shared during his life. She kept his body at home and invited family members to visit.”via www.startribune.com
Funeral Industry|Funeral News|Funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy
Death, state Rep. Carolyn Laine, said Tuesday is frightening.
“We are always afraid of the unknown,” she told fellow lawmakers. But the fear — and the law — should not prevent families from “reclaiming” the care of their dead loved ones, she said.
Reports have been circulating over the weekend about funeral Director embalmers being at high risk for Cancer. This comes mainly from exposure to Formaldehyde over long periods of time.
Funeral Industry insiders are well aware of the risks and funeral directors are warned of it in Mortuary School.
A summary of the the national Cancer research can be viewed here
LONG TERM EXPSOSURE TO EMBALMING FLUIDS IS LIKELY TO CAUSE CANCER.
Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by your Funeral Guy.
Researchers in the Division of Cancer Epidemeology and Genetics at the U.S. National Cancer Institute analyzed data on funeral industry workers who died between 1960 and 1986. Information about the workers’ work practices and exposure to formaldehyde throughout their lifetime was collected through interviews with family members and co-workers.
The researchers found that risk rose along with the number of years someone had been involved with embalming and related formaldehyde exposure. The greatest risk was seen among those who’d been involved in embalming for more than 20 years, according to the study.
Embalming fluids pic from flickr under the creative commons license from
The New York City Funeral Home, being sued for improper or non-embalming is in a tough spot according to the attorney for the family. Fernando Maldonado, 43, was returned to the La Paz Funeral Home in the Bronx after undergoing an autopsy
From researching this case it appears that the deceased may have not been embalmed at all. One has to ask the question did the family pay for embalming? Who prepared the body? Where on God’s Earth was the Funeral Director? Would a licensed individual do this?
Lawsuit required-yes.
The fact that a body was presented to 100 people in the described condition below is horrific.
“There was a gaping hole in his neck,” Lamansoff told PIX News in a telephone interview. “There was blood seeping from his ear and stains on the pillow.”
According to reports, flies were also buzzing around the corpse and the wake was interrupted a total of three times by the funeral director who attempted to calm down the large crowd of family and friends dismayed by the body.
“The funeral home violated the right of sepulcher … the family didn’t want their loved one ready for burial in a horrible, disgusting way,” Lamansoff said.
This is so sad for the family and Funeral Directors in America.
Funeral Industry|Funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy, Funeral Director.
On June 1st 2009 a body was prepared quickly at a New York City Bronx Funeral Home. The result was a bad autopsy repair and embalming which brought significant horror to friends and family. It also brought a lawsuit based upon common law. A horrible looking body is not suitable for viewing, or visitation.
“Bronx Business Accused Of Doing The Unspeakable After Man Has Holes In Head, Flies Buzzing On Body During Viewing
Blood Seepage, Sutures, Discoloration Visible To Those Paying RespectsThe people who attended 43-year-old Fernando Maldonado’s wake on June 1 said it was a horror show”
Funeral Directors are trained to prepare the dead for viewing. The most difficult preparation is autopsy repair. In this case the Funeral Home in question did not allow enough time for proper care of the deceased and did not do the job properly. For over a century in the USA Funeral Homes and Funeral Directors in the United States have been expected to properly care for the dead. That is the basis for the common law lawsuit.
You should always expect excellence from your funeral director.
On October 9th 2009, Otrib.com recommended Your Funeral guy’s book for saving money on Funeral Costs.
Funeral Costs and General Facts
For advice on how to minimize funeral costs, read:
“Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral,” by R Brian Burkhardt.
To learn more about your rights as a consumer, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s funeral-facts page……
In August 2009 Your Funeral Guy was repeatedly referred to as NicheProf -Naymz by Bloggers and News organizations on the web.
In July 2009, the blog yourfuneralguywordpress.com was featured in the top 100 blogs Wordpress.com blogs, it’s called a Hawt post.
Quote from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel May 10th 2009.
Your Funeral Guy in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
‘The entire funeral industry model is changing, said R. Brian Burkhardt, a funeral director in Wheaton, Ill., who blogs about the industry at yourfuneralguy.com.
Consumers are spending less on funeral services, the result of the economic downturn. “People are cutting back because they have to,” Burkhardt said. “People are walking in and demanding less.Check out the full Milwaukee Sentinel Journal Article .
Quoted Speaking Up for NFDA Integrity
Your Funeral Guy -Quoted in the Funeral Service Insider a Kates-Boylston Publication 0n April 6th 2009.
Randall L “Earl is also coming under fire on the Internet.In his blog “Your Funeral Guy,”
Your Funeral Guy Quoted in KatesBolyston Publication The Funeral Service Insider
states that Earl’s involvement with alleged misdeeds at the IFDA
may hurt the national association.
He writes, “The integrity of the IFDA has been destroyed. THE INTEGRITY OF THE NFDA, NATIONAL FUNERAL DIRECTORS
ASSOCIATION NEEDS TO BE QUESTIONED ASWELL.”
When contacted by phone, Burkhardt had more harsh words for the leaders at NFDA. “I see the integrity of the
profession as a little at stake here,” he says. “And I would think that (Earl) would want to put
that above being treasurer of NFDA
or anything like that. The profession needs as much integrity as it can get right now, and him
being on the executive board is not good for the whole mess.”
The Quote from Newsweek March 16 2009
BUSINESS: “Where Death Comes Cheap” (p. 45). Associate Editor Matthew Philips reports ……. “There’s a major movement toward low-cost options right now,” says R. Brian Burkhardt, a funeral director in Wheaton, Ill., who writes an industry blog called Your Funeral Guy.
Your Funeral Guy on the Funeral
“Those businesses that adjust will do fine — and those that don’t will be gone.”
Your Funeral Guy was Quoted in World Net Daily on Illinois Senator Roland Burris and a funeral Ponzi Scam
Quote from World Net Daily posted January 16th 2009.
R. Brian Burkhardt, a funeral director in the state and the author of a book on saving money on funeral costs, told WND he noticed a year ago that the fund set up under the license granted by Burris had reported a $40 million loss – $59 million at the most recent reporting.
“One of the complaints that have been made against the IFDA is that excessive
“Quite frankly, the money should go for the living,” says Mr. Burkhardt.
Your Funeral Guy was Quoted in National Post
“Why should you put $15,000 in the ground for a funeral when the money can go to your
R.Brian Burkhardt Rest in Peace Book mentioned in National Post of Canada
grandkid’s education or to a relative?”
“If you take away all the emotion from the situation, it is a contract negotiation. Funeral directors will negotiate with you for a lower cost,” Mr. Burkhardt says. For example, he says, you can opt not to have the body embalmed.
Bill on 
on 
