The changing face of funeral arrangements

With over 225 years experience spanning over seven generations of their family Lodge Brothers, the funeral directors in Thames Ditton, must be the oldest family owned business in the area.

They, like all other funeral directors have seen many changes in family’s funeral arrangement requests over the years and have some interesting tales to tell about their experiences. One of the most obvious changes in recent years has been in the choice of music selected for funeral services. With church attendances in decline fewer people are familiar with hymns and many family’s are now choosing personal pieces of popular music.

The results of a survey carried out by Lodge Brothers showed a wide range of music preferences. The most popular choices included Spirit in the Sky, a one hit wonder from 1970, by Norman Greenbaum, We’ll Meet Again by Vera Lynne, My Way by Frank Sinatra and Angels by Robbie Williams.

The leading choices of hymns were far more conventional with the old favourites including Psalm 23 (The Lord is My Shepherd), All Things Bright and Beautiful, Abide with Me and The Old Rugged Cross being amongst the most requested.

Robert Lodge, who lives in Thames Ditton, explained how the format of funeral services have changed in recent years. “We quite often get asked for a themed funeral service or for mourners to wear a bright colour, often pink, rather than black. At one funeral relatives wanted our pall bearers to dress up as clowns. We couldn’t do that, but instead we agreed that they would all wear yellow ties. At another funeral, relatives requested mourners to leave the church to the Benny Hill theme tune. This of course gets faster and faster as he chases after scantily-clad women.

“One of the most memorable funerals saw all the mourners arrive at the church in shorts and t-shirts. This was because the deceased was a huge fan of barbecues and they wanted to remember how he always dressed.”

A problem for all funeral directors is the over-zealous traffic warden. A Lodge Brothers hearse was once given a £40 parking ticket while it was collecting a body from one of their funeral homes. Despite the obvious error of the warden, it took some lengthy negotiations to get the fine overturned.

An ongoing worry for all funeral directors is the occasional problem of gravediggers not digging the grave large enough for the coffin, causing it to get stuck halfway down. Thankfully these sorts of problems are very few and far between.

Like all other retailers and trades people, a funeral director has to be aware of changing trends and tastes. It is their duty to provide a funeral service that meets the personal requirements of the bereaved family. Or in the case of a pre-arranged funeral plan, the personal requests of the deceased.