When Convenience Meets Funerals

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Americans relish the freedom to choose how to cope with the deaths of loved ones as well as the types of funerals with which honor them. It’s hardly surprising that a culture which embraces any new convenience, such as fast food and smartphones, would also welcome the drive-thru funeral, in which no one needs to leave their cars to pay their respects to their loved ones. For monetary and security reasons as well as for personal aesthetic preferences, many African-Americans choose these memorial services when honoring their loved ones, and some of the places that offer this unique option are Virginia, California, Chicago, Louisiana and South Carolina.

It’s hardly surprising that a culture which embraces any new convenience, such as fast food and smartphones, would also welcome the drive-thru funeral. . .

Located in Compton, an area well-versed in gangs and gang violence, the most popular drive-thru funeral home in California is Adams Mortuary. Its popularity among gang members stems from its easy access and bulletproof glass casings that protect the loved ones they come to visit. For these services, many African-Americans would prefer more traditional funeral customs, with coffins and celebratory memorials given at elaborate services, but they often have to settle with a more economical cremation and minimal memorial services. Although the choice to honor loved ones with an open casket has greatly decreased over the years, African-American culture still often prefers such services, especially with the high occurrences of people dying from acts of gang violence. These types of deaths prevent loved ones from saying their final goodbyes and “I love you”‘s before it is too late. At the drive-thru, those who gather to pay their respects may sign a guestbook, and observers do not need to worry about parking or personal appearance.

Credit: designyoutrust.com

Another similar drive-thru funeral home, Gatling’s Funeral Home, can be found in the South Side of Chicago. The owner used to work in construction and always felt uncomfortable attending funeral services in his dirty work clothes. In 1987, he created his version of a drive-thru funeral. The process involves driving up to a speakerphone and pressing a button to speak to a funeral home attendant, who asks the name of the loved one in order to prepare the lights and cameras. Once given the approval to drive up to the viewing place, the mourners sign guestbooks and then look at head-shots of loved ones in their coffins on a huge screen. These glimpses last for only a brief few seconds each, but the mourners can press a button to glance at their loved one as many times as they wish.

. . .many African-Americans would prefer more traditional funeral customs, with coffins and celebratory memorials given at elaborate services, but they often have to settle with a more economical cremation and minimal memorial services.

Although only a few places in the United States offer drive-thru funerals, the numerous reasons for their existence demonstrates how the definition of convenience, as well as the common desire in American culture to stay accessible and contemporary in whatever form that manifests, means something different to each American.

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