The Don'ts of Attending a Funeral

1. Don’t be the guy who shows up at the funeral not knowing anyone in the family but expecting to get fed at the brunch following.

2. Don’t show up at funerals and blatantly shove the grieving families beliefs aside to only replace them with your own personal beliefs. (Not everybody wants to be told that the body of the person they have loved and cherished for many many years is “just a Shell” though it may be a body with the spirit being absent it is still what they recognize as their loved one and they have the right to say goodbye to them face to face.)

3. Don’t show up at a funeral and as a non-paster, family member, or funeral worker take over the show and demand that everybody conform to your wants.

4. Don’t be the tacky person who shows up in a mini skirt or a heavy metal rock t-shirt when everybody else is dressed classily. (especially if you are a grandchild or a child of the deceased)

5. Don’t show up at a formal church funeral smelling of smoke or alcohol or a mixture of the two. I know we all grieve the same but a shower, a splash of mouth wash and mint go a long way.

6. Don’t be the person who gets up during a time of sharing and shares inappropriate remarks regarding the deceased.

7. Don’t swear or use crude language during any part of a funeral service. Show some respect to the dead and others who come to the funeral.

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8. Don’t bring dead animals and place them in the casket. (this isn’t ancient Egypt you don’t need to bring a dead cat in a bag to be buried in the casket with their owner)

9. Don’t show up at a funeral 15 minutes late. Especially if you are a family member of the decease. I know it’s a hard time and there is a lot on your mind. Just remember that in most cases clergy and funeral directors will hold up services till all expected family is present. Don’t be the one to make the funeral start late.

10. Unless you are a family member of the deceased or have permission from the family to do so Don’t take pictures of the dead and place them on facebook, twitter, instagram, myspace, google plus or any other social media cite.

11. Don’t be the one who’s phone goes off in the middle of the service with the ringer at full blast. Remember a funeral is quite similar to a church service.