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The public should be receptive to the pre-planned "life celebrations" that author Lynn Isenberg describes in her new novel "The Funeral Planner," according to local experts. Funeral services have "become more personal" in recent years, said Chris Pelham, owner of Wetherby Funeral Home, 402 Wildwood Ave. "Years ago, people didn't bring in photos. Now they bring in collages of photos all the time, plus personal items, even a motorcycle," he said. Inviting people to get up and speak about the deceased is also becoming more common, he said. "A few years ago you didn't see that. I think it's a good thing." The Rev. Ed Ross of First United Methodist Church, 275 W. Michigan Ave., said that "services are taking advantage of the technology now available." It's not unusual to have Power Point presentations -- with music -- during a funeral service or visitation, he said. Ross' approach at a funeral is to first "tell the person's story" and lead from that into the gospel message that comes through. He hopes having stories at the funeral encourage the family to keep talking about the person -- and to each other. The Rev. Dr. Carl Benes of First Congregational Church, 120 N. Jackson St., performs many services for people he doesn't know well or at all, who don't want a religious service. He depends on what the family tells him about the deceased. He likes the trend of "opening it up to people to speak or read something." And when the funeral service is over, "I'll encourage them to keep telling the stories." Pre-planning one's own service -- as "Lights Out Enterprises" helps people do -- is helpful, Ross said, "because there's no guessing what they wanted."
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