Aggregate Death
Eight People Who Found Life in Dying
As someone who is continually confronted with death, I’m often prompted to think about how I will approach death when it stares me in the face … when I’m actively dying.
Will I face death with a good attitude?
Will I spiral into a pit of depression?
Will I experience an existential crisis or will I find myself content in the life I lived?
Here are people who took active dying by the horns and decided to make the most of the life they had left.
1.
At age 14, Zack Sobiech was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer which mostly strikes children. CBS reported that during his treatment he underwent 10 surgeries and 20 rounds of chemotherapy. He started writing music after his diagnosis.
In May 2012 his doctors informed him that he had up to a year to live. Sobiech recorded the song “Clouds” about his battle with cancer, and released it as a YouTube video in December 2012. It went viral, surpassing 3 million views at the time of his death. It currently has more than 10 million views and counting. — Wikipedia
2.
From Imgur:
“Dying from cancer, Grandpa wanted a haircut. I suggested a Mohawk. He said “Do it”. One of my best memories with him. RIP.”
3.
The producer of The Simpsons has decided to give his vast fortune away before he dies from colon cancer.
Sam Simon, 58, is spending his final months funding projects that feed homeless people and save animals from being killed in animal shelters.
‘The truth is, I have more money than I’m interested in spending. Everyone in my family is taken care of. And I enjoy this,’ Simon explained. — Via The Daily Mail.
4.
This dying dad who is writing a bunch of notes (on napkins) to his daughter before he dies of terminal cancer. You can read about his project HERE.
5.
While bravely battling her own cancer, Alex and her family continued to hold yearly lemonade stands in her front yard to benefit childhood cancer research. News spread of the remarkable sick child dedicated to helping other sick children. People from all over the world, moved by her story, held their own lemonade stands and donated the proceeds to Alex and her cause.
In August of 2004, Alex passed away at the age of 8, knowing that, with the help of others, she had raised more than $1 million to help find a cure for the disease that took her life. Alex’s family – including brothers Patrick, Eddie, and Joey – and supporters around the world are committed to continuing her inspiring legacy through Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.
6.
Nine days.
That’s how long Maurese Miller and Tomya Goffney-Miller had on this earth as husband and wife.
Nine days.
Maurese and Tomya were married Saturday, April 12. Tomya passed away Monday morning, April 21.
Her death is surely painful for her new husband, their young son and the rest of their family.
But it was not unexpected.
Nine hours, nine days, nine weeks. Doctors had said their time would be limited.
Tomya had Stage 4 colon cancer. Their April 12 wedding – the date had been set long before – was held in Tomya’s room at Christiana Hospital. By Jeffrey Gentry, The News Journal
Read more HERE
7.
This photo is of Kevin “Wash” Pratt-King, who passed away from Glioblastoma Multiforme at age 28 on Sept 11, 2012. Kevin’s widow remembers him as having “the best smile, and the most raucous and contagious laugh.”
Kevin wrote:
Dying of brain cancer isn’t always a grim affair. It IS damned expensive, though…
8.
Talia Joy Castellano (August 18, 1999 – July 16, 2013) was a covergirl and an American Internet celebrity known for her YouTube channel “TaliaJoy18” that featured her unique makeup tutorials. Her channel was mainly dedicated to makeup, fashion and cancer vlogs where she would discuss neuroblastoma,and lukemia the disease she battled for six years. At the time of Castellano’s death, her channel had more than 750,000 subscribers and 45 million video views. Since then, her YouTube channel has grown to more than 1,000,000 subscribers. Even after her death, her Instagram feed @taliajoy18 has over 2,000,000 followers. — Wikipedia
What NOT to do when you see a funeral procession
So this happened:
CINCINNATI — Two people were injured in a crash Wednesday afternoon involving a hearse in a funeral procession at Colerain Avenue and Banning Road.
Hamilton County dispatch said the driver of the hearse and a Catholic priest were injured around 1 p.m.
The hearse owned by Dalbert, Woodruff & Isenogle funeral home was driving along Banning Road to Arlington Memorial Gardens when it was struck crossing Colerain Avenue. Via WCPO
Yesterday, while we were preparing the funeral procession to go to a cemetery, a woman asked me, “What do we do if the other cars don’t stop for the funeral procession?”
I answered, “You have a flag on your car, turn your four-way flashers on. If that doesn’t work, use your horn. If you’re horn doesn’t work, use your middle finger.”
She chuckled.
But funeral procession accidents aren’t a laughing matter. We’ve had two accidents that I can remember. Thankfully no one was injured, but the reality is this: most people don’t have much respect for a funeral procession.
So, here’s the rules:
1. If a funeral procession is driving through an intersection and the light turns red, the funeral procession (usually) has the right to proceed.
2. A funeral procession has a right to driver slower than the speed limit.
3. If you cut off a funeral procession, give the funeral procession the middle finger, honk your horn at a funeral procession or wreck into a hearse, you’re probably an ass hole. And, in most states, it’s a civil infraction to cut into a funeral procession.
I know life is busy. I know you have places to go and you’re running late. I know traffic tests your patience. So, when you see a funeral procession, instead of getting more busy, getting more impatient, relax and reflect on the shortness of your life and how easily we get so worked up over little things that — in the big picture — aren’t nearly as important as love, laughter, family and friends.
Also, do us funeral directors a favor and slow down and/or pull over. Thanks.
Can You Find Six Thing That Don’t Belong at Grandma’s Funeral?
I’ll be honest. It took me like six minutes to find all six things. I suck at these games. Grrrrr.
Although, in my defense, pizza belongs at every event … so I just assumed that pizza was a natural part of Grandma’s funeral. I mean, shouldn’t pizza be at every funeral?
11 Kinda Off-Color Death Comics
If I’ve learned anything from blogging it’s this: no matter what you do, you will end up offending someone. And the second thing I’ve learned is that any attempt at humor will inevitable offend. So, in the time honored funeral director tradition of offending the least amount of people possible, I present eleven kinda off-color death comics. Sure, there’s REALLY off-color death comics out there, but I’m keeping it bland.
1. 
2. 
3.
4. 
5. 
6.
7.
8. 
9. 
10. 
11. 
