I’m Sean General and years ago, without knowing that I’d be doing this as my career, I preplanned my grandmother’s funeral and mortuary services with her. She and I were extremely close. My grandfather passed away in an assisted care facility. My grandmother, Peggy, was barely five feet tall and wasn’t able to take care of him towards the end of his life.
On a trip back east to visit her, we sat down together and I said, “Grandma, you know how things were with Grandpa, so we need to talk about what your wishes are so I can make sure that they happen when you pass. I promise to get dad onboard too.”
My grandma told me that she wanted to be cremated with no service. She wanted to have a celebration of her life at my father’s restaurant and there were to be no “funeral” flowers like lilies or gladiolas…only daisies because they are happy flowers and her favorite. She also wanted her cremated remains mixed with my grandfather’s and scattered over Scotland which is where she was from and where she met my grandfather.
In the end, my grandma had a massive stroke and was not able to speak or write. I was so thankful that as my father and I did hospice for her, that I knew what she wanted. I was devastated losing her, but knowing what her wishes were allowed us to focus on grieving and not the difficult decision making when those wishes are unknown.
I am passionate about what I do for my clients and their families because of my grandmother.
