Most of us will never get to hear the kind words said at our own funeral. Shelvy Neal of Macon, Georgia, decided that simply wouldn’t do.
To celebrate her 80th birthday on Sunday, October 4, the retired beautician and florist held what her family called a “FOMO funeral” (as in, fear of missing out). And yes, she attended. As her daughter had predicted, she was even a little late.
The idea took shape as the family sat around the table planning funeral arrangements. “She said, ‘Well, I just hate I’m not gonna be there,'” her daughter, Tammy Crutchfield, told WMAZ. “And I said, ‘Well, let’s just go ahead and do it.'”
The service was held in the renovated barn of a Macon home Shelvy and her late husband, Gary, owned for about 25 years before selling it to a funeral home in 2020. The sale came with one unusual catch: two funerals, one for each of them.
About 100 family and friends came. There were hymns, family photos, an open mic for memories, and a coffin with a cardboard cutout of the guest of honor. Shelvy, naturally, was the guest speaker, and for anyone who needed to dab away tears, there were rolls of toilet tissue on hand.
Not everyone understood the plan at first. “I had some people asking me was I crazy,” Shelvy said with a laugh. “I told them, ‘Yeah.'”
By the end, she had collected hugs from just about everyone in the room, and she sums up the whole idea perfectly: “Funeral is F-U-N,” she said. “And I like fun.”
Video credit: Inside Edition on YouTube