Maggie had 2,500 mourners - how many will YOU have? Lol!

[5129frederick]

About 2500 people crammed into St. Pauls to say farewell to Thatcher.  I'm wondering how you'd match up to that when your time comes:-D The thing is, how many of those were genuine mourners?  In India and other Far East countries, it's big business.  You, or your dearly beloved, can actually hire mourners - mostly women, who will howl at your funeral to give you a good send off.  They openly advertise their services, like plumbers or electricians.  For a modest fee, you can get fifty or sixty women who will weep and pray for you, giving the impression you were well loved. It's not really my scene, but I can understand why people do it.  I would love Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus, and Thine Be the Glory to be sung at my funeral, but with just three perceived attendees, I know that no hymns would be sung, and that it would all be over in less than twenty minutes, as it was with my aunt.  Her's was an improvement - she had eight attending her funeral, but again, not enough to justify any hymns.

As we get older, our circle of friends become less.  relatives move away and loved ones relink in another world.  It's not easy to make friends.  You either socialise or you don't, and we don't.  Do I come across as sad? 😄 

[barbara.1482]

Frederick, I can't understand why anyone would want to hire a mob of mourners, although like you say this happens in 'India and other Far East countries'  I would only want people that really cared about me to attend my funeral~ which includes~ friends that I've known for many years. If I didn't have these people I'm not going to know much anyway :^O

If I dare go off topic for a moment;-) My Mum who's in her eighties complains about finding friends at her age, and when me and my sister suggest she joins 'Age Concern' and would get the extra company she needs when me and my sister aren't around she poo~ poos the idea, so you really can't win!  Friends don't come looking for you we say~ you've got to go out and make them (that's if you're mobile of course) 

So to answer your last question..YES ;-):^O

[ronnybabes]

I like you Frederick...

however,

I swopped Christianity for atheism, or should I say humanism, and calm descended upon me.

Religion, ...... whatever the belief ... is the cause of wars heartache, and grief... fact! 😐

[upthecreekyetagain]

Frederick, I can't understand why anyone would want to hire a mob of mourners, although like you say this happens in 'India and other Far East countries' 

Not just in the far East

http://www.rentamourner.co.uk/index.html

[tommy.irene]

I like you Frederick...

however,

I swopped Christianity for atheism, or should I say humanism, and calm descended upon me.

Religion, ...... whatever the belief ... is the cause of wars heartache, and grief... fact! 😐

Im with you Ronny... People say to me i wont go to heaven.. nutcases the lot of them.. In war both sides pray to their god ..who,s side does he take..and when i die im not worried who turns up to burn me..

[**caution**opinion_ahead]

Fred, you can still have hymns even with only a few attendees.  Just leave a cd with your Will and/or funeral plan and indicate which ones you would like.  That's what my mum did.  She only wanted immediate family and a couple of friends there, but we still had 2 hymns ... and beautifully sung they were.  (The organist was a bit redundant, but, hey ho, he still got paid.)

🙂

[merehazle]

Im with you Ronny... People say to me i wont go to heaven.. nutcases the lot of them.. In war both sides pray to their god ..who,s side does he take..and when i die im not worried who turns up to burn me..

😮 Well alright Tommy my uncle is an undertaker (true) and say's he likes you. So it will be CHEAP!

But you must be here before 2 PM TODAY.

Oh! bring your own matches. 

😉

[barbara.1482]

Creeky, Never laughed so much, I didn't realize you could hire them here~ then again I wasn't looking :^O

[barbara.1482]

Mere, Very funny :^O

[mr-expresso]

Not sure how many will attend my funeral......

But.....

I am sure one or two from here will attend ...just to make sure i really am dead.....;-)

[mustard-tree]

From Yes Prime Minister regarding the funeral of a former Prime Minister.

"I am sure that a tremendous number of people will want to attend his funeral"
"To pay him tribute, you mean?"
"Of course, that is certainly one reason. Another is to make sure he is dead"

[5129frederick]

I knew somebody - a con merchant, who'd turn funeral attendance into a science.  She'd slip in at the back just as the service was about to start, and sit there quietly listening to everything that was going on.  Of course the minister would prattle on for about ten minutes, telling the congregation what a wonderful person he was, and what he'd done with his life etc.  As everybody slipped out, somebody qould ask discretely if she knew him well.

"Briefly in 1937 when he worked for...  I was saddened to hear of his passing, of course, and came here to pay my respects, but I don't want to intrude on what is obviously a very private affair, so I'll go quietly on my way."  She'd reply in a demure manner.
"Oh no.  Please don't.  We're having a bite to eat and a few drinks back at my house, please come - there's plenty of room if you haven't got a car..."

"Well, if you insist, but I didn't want to intrude..."

She'd then spend the next hour knocking back about four glasses of sherry and a couple of salmon canapes before thanking the host for her hospitality and making her way home.  She got away with it because nobody dared challenge her! 

[tommy.irene]

I knew somebody - a con merchant, who'd turn funeral attendance into a science.  She'd slip in at the back just as the service was about to start, and sit there quietly listening to everything that was going on.  Of course the minister would prattle on for about ten minutes, telling the congregation what a wonderful person he was, and what he'd done with his life etc.  As everybody slipped out, somebody qould ask discretely if she knew him well.

"Briefly in 1937 when he worked for...  I was saddened to hear of his passing, of course, and came here to pay my respects, but I don't want to intrude on what is obviously a very private affair, so I'll go quietly on my way."  She'd reply in a demure manner.
"Oh no.  Please don't.  We're having a bite to eat and a few drinks back at my house, please come - there's plenty of room if you haven't got a car..."

"Well, if you insist, but I didn't want to intrude..."

She'd then spend the next hour knocking back about four glasses of sherry and a couple of salmon canapes before thanking the host for her hospitality and making her way home.  She got away with it because nobody dared challenge her! 

Ha ha.. I know two people that do that ..

[mustard-tree]

Seems more of a hobby than a con

A lot of faffing about just for four glasses of sherry and a couple of salmon canapes

[barbara.1482]

I wonder if she paid to get herself there or was that a freebie too!! :^O;-)

[5129frederick]

Maggie on freebies?  Blair was the one who turned it into a science!  :_|  And he's still getting them!

[hightara]

i couldn't give a monkeys who came to my funeral, i told the boys to just throw me over the hedge

eldest said that would be too much bother :^O

but i know, as our family is massive there would be a good few there

and if you don't know the person who dies, but know their sons/daughters etc, it is

respectful to attend the funeral.

i think its more to comfort the family, if that makes sense.

ive told our ones.......anything that the doctors can salvage to donate, and the cheapest coffin (as long as i dont drip out on anyone) and one single lily.

i'm in ireland btw....... so theres always a good sing/drink along in the pub after

gawd i hate the MUM, DAD. BROTHER wreaths, and the whole last supper up the side of the coffin carp.

cheap to the very end..........thats me:^O

[tommy.irene]

Seems more of a hobby than a con

A lot of faffing about just for four glasses of sherry and a couple of salmon canapes

You want to go to an Irish one ..you get a great send off ..4 bottles of sherry for starters..not 4 glasses..

[hightara]

You want to go to an Irish one ..you get a great send off ..4 bottles of sherry for starters..not 4 glasses..

sherry my arris tommy.............. they go for the whiskey;-)

[tommy.irene]

sherry my arris tommy.............. they go for the whiskey;-)

Whisky is a mans drink and i find that most of the men on here drink sherry..