My brother died 2 weeks ago on Monday and his viewing isn't until today. He's been at the mortuary most of that time and prior was at the hospital morgue. He's been in the refrigerator the whole time. Is it still safe to touch his hand? And do funeral homes generally make people wash hands after? My OCD is freaking out a bit. I wish the viewing were sooner, but I had no control over that.

Edited to add: he's not been embalmed, just refrigerated

Edit again: viewing is done. Hand sanitizer was provided, thankfully.

Thanks for all the responses!

Sorry if this is too close to being jokey or off-topic.

I went to the funeral of an extended family member recently, and the preacher who was officiating started the eulogy by admitting that he was pretty new to this and "didn't do well in school" before proceeding to use the wrong name for the decedent throughout the eulogy.

I imagine that in this industry, you probably interface a lot with religious leaders or other ceremonial officiants. I want to hear your stories about the most eccentric, strange, off-the-wall pastor encounters you've had.

Hello!

I have an interview over the phone next week for an apprenticeship position at a local funeral home and I just need some advice on what to expect.

I imagine my largest hindrance towards getting this position is the fact that I don't currently have a driver's license (though I am actively taking lessons and plan to get it asap). Will this realistically ruin any chance I have at getting the job right now?

I know this is a long shot, but for a school assignment I need to interview a licensed funeral director AND embalmer in California.

I’d only need 10-15 minutes of your time via phone call or zoom, a picture of your business card, and your license numbers to ensure their legitimacy.

I’d be asking you about changes/trends in funeral service, your daily responsibilities, and your overall experiences in the field.

I plan to write a short paper on my findings, but it won’t be published anywhere, just submitted to my professor. Thanks in advance if anyone can help!

I’m wondering if they ever get over it eventually or if it stays there for long, like with a mother and father

I’m an assistant at a funeral home and I work part time. I recently joined the funeral home I’m at a few months ago with the promise of more consistent work since my last funeral home could not support the hours I needed. At first my hours were really consistent but as time has passed my hours have gotten extremely inconsistent.

I am well aware of the ebb and flow of this line of work but the issue is mostly across our leading directors. we have two directors who swap scheduling responsibility weekly. Manager #1 gives me decently consistent hours and on call while manager #2 does not. On #2’s week I am likely to get two partial days if I’m lucky. I’m scared he thinks I’m unreliable due to very minor mishaps but manager #1 seems to be very pleased with my work ethic. I will tidy our prep room, run laundry, clean cots, etc when I am able and have gotten to where I can fully dress and do cosmetics independently (my previous job and role were not very back of the house intensive). My overall work quality has improved majorly and I’m working to better myself every shift.

I really like my job and don't want to jeopardize myself with pushing for more work or upsetting one of my managers but I cannot continue to work this little. I really need advice. Thank you!

A father posted himself rocking his child who burned to death in a crash. He stated that he had to fight for 10 days to be able to hold his deceased child. The video has loud crackling plastic sounds. Is this something anyone can explain? Is that a sealed pouch that the funeral home then wrapped in blankets? I would assume the blanket idea was the funeral homes, so they didn’t have to hand him his child in just a bag? Would there be any chance of an odor? What would it even feel like holding her? Like a stiff mannequin? He had his face as close as possible to her and sobbing in the video. It was devastating to see.