Grandad's funeral took just over 3 weeks to happen. My Nan, it will be a month before we get to say goodbye.
Why does it take so long? Are there just not enough funeral directors?
I understand it taking longer when it was a young person or cause of death needing investigation, but these were straightforward. Old age plus diseases/conditions. My paternal grandad was 94 and had cancer for 18 years.
My maternal Nan was 82 and had repeated bouts of acute pancreatitis, severe dementia, and finally her frail body couldn't handle it anymore.
If anyone knows the industry I'm really curious if there's any reason it has to have such delays or if it's just an overloaded system. Or something I'm just not aware of.
First off my condolences. Is it maybe a UK issue? Im in Wisconsin in the US and my dad died suddenly in January and we were allowed to begin the arrangements within 48 hrs. I'm not sure how it is over there but he died, they did the autopsy, and I had initial findings by Valentines Day. Again sorry for your loss.
You may want to check on the laws in the UK. I know that in the states you don't need a funeral director. Mortuaries hate hearing this. If you bury, you can buy the plot and casket ahead of time. Then you pay 25 bucks to your local municipality for the license and you can receive the body. There is no distinction in how you receive the body from the hospital. Or if you have it because of natural causes at home and stuff you are set but still need the license. Then all you have to do is pay the cemetery for opening and closing the plot and stuff. I argued with my family for a couple hours when my mom died about getting the license and then putting her body in one of those construction heavy trash bags from the hospital. If you are not burying the body, you have a certain number of days to cremate it. You can either do it at a crematorium, or do it yourself. Granted still need the license and stuff. Where I live you have 2 days total if you are cremating on your own. You can bury it on your own land as well, but there are other licenses and things you need to look into first as well as zoning situations.
I happened to be talking to someone in the business the other day. Aside from periodic gluts in death related admin (post mortem) etc. it apparently happens as follows:
In summary, the number of deaths average out over a year about the same with very little variance, year after year (even the pandemic didn't alter this overall pattern)
What does frequently happen in the short term are periods where there are so many deaths in one week that their facilities are so stretched they have to rent extra 'mortuary' space (they don't call it that); accordingly, there are very quiet periods.
Funeral venues can also be periodically overbooked, too.
May whatever God be with you. When you see that coffin, your heart thumps. And you know, life will never be the same again. Funerals are just so sad. Peter
Love you, too
