These Bizarre Funerals Took The Idea Of “Celebrating Life” Too Literally...
Coffins are overrated.
By John Lim — 17 Mar 2016, 06:34 PM
1. Murdered boxer Christopher Amaro was posed against the corner of a ring, complete with boxing gear
Who: Christopher Rivera Amaro.
Where: Santurce, Puerto Rico.
When: 2014.
Age: 23.
Super featherweight Christopher Rivera Amaro, 23, was shot dead in 2014, and his family dressed his body in his boxing outfit before propping him upright in a makeshift ring for a wake at a community centre in Puerto Rico's capital San Juan.
ibtimes.co.uk
Rivera had a 5-15 record in the 130-pound weight class. He was shot dead in the city of Santurce.
2. This mother of two, Miriam Burbank had her nails painted black and gold, with disco balls surrounding her
Who: Miriam "Mae-Mae" Burbank.
Where: New Orleans, USA.
When: 2014.
Age: 53.
With a glass of Busch beer, a menthol cigarette and a New Orleans Saints themed manicure, Miriam Burbank attended one last party – her funeral. Burbank was posed sitting at a table in a living room setting, with a disco ball glittering overhead to set the mood for her final fete.
go.com
Burbank’s daughters said other family members seemed to enjoy this fitting goodbye. So they told the funeral home directors at Charbonnet Funeral Home what she liked and came up with this.
3. With his eyes opened, Fernando de Jesus Diaz Beato was propped up in a chair holding a cigarette in his usual fashion
Who: Fernando de Jesus Diaz Beato.
Where: San Juan, Puerto Rico.
When: 2016.
Age: 26.
Fernando de Jesus Diaz Beato, 26, was shot 15 times in the Villa Carolina neighborhood of San Juan on March 3, with police saying they have no leads on the crime.
Describing him as a 'happy and very active person', the family decided against a coffin for the funeral service in favor of a chair, sitting Diaz Beato with his legs crossed, dressed in his favorite clothes and with a cigarette between his fingers.
As a 'surprise' to the family, the funeral home decided to keep his eyes open.
4. Well-known jazz musician Lionel Batiste got a musical send-off while he's dressed up in his trademark watch and whistle
Who: Lionel Batiste.
Where: New Orleans, USA.
When: 2012.
Age: 81.
Lionel Batiste, a jazz musician and well-known figure in New Orleans did not want people looking down at him, so at his service he was standing up, leaning on a lamp post, hands on his walking cane, hat tipped rakishly to one side.
Mourners played some of Lionel's favourite tunes in remembrance of the legacy he left behind as a musician.
5. Mickey Easterling, a socialite and party hostess went out as she wanted - with a glamorous party
Who: Mickey Easterling.
Where: Louisiana, USA.
When: 2014.
Age: 83.
It was not a typical memorial service, to say the least. A celebration of the life of Mickey Easterling, a New Orleans philanthropist and party giver who died at the age of 83. The arrangements included a display of Ms. Easterling's body, sitting on a wrought-iron bench, with a Champagne glass in one hand and a cigarette holder in another.
"She loved the limelight. She loved the attention," her daughter, Nanci Myke Easterling.
It was more of a celebration as mourners had glasses of champagnes and finger food from the trays of passing waiters.
6. Motorbike fanatic David Colon was displayed on his favourite Honda motorbike
Who: David Morales Colon.
Where: San Juan, Puerto Rico.
When: 2010.
Age: 22.
Before he was murdered earlier this month, 22-year-old David Morales Colon had told his family that he didn't want a traditional casket.
So the Marin Funeral Home in San Juan, Puerto Rico, organised for Colon's body to be dressed in biking gear and placed on top of his Honda CBR600 while friends and families paid their respects.
"He loved his motorcycle. It made him feel free from his worries. We all know he will be happy riding for eternity," one mourner said.
7. Renato Garcia was dressed in his Green Lantern's outfit. The fictional superhero was his favourite character from the DC Universe.
Who: Renato Garcia.
Where: San Juan, Puerto Rico.
When: 2015.
Age: 55.
Renato Garcia, 55, had found the costume in a box next to be a bin in the city of San Juan and was known for wearing it around his local area. When he died after suffering a severe asthma attack, his family decided it was appropriate that he was also buried in it.
After being embalmed, his body was propped up in the corner of the hall under the instructions of his sister Milagros Garcia, 51, who said: 'It is what he would have wanted.'
8. Georgina Chervony Lloren, who died of natural causes was placed in her favourite rocking chair wearing a wedding dress
Who: Georgina Chervony Lloren.
Where: San Juan, Puerto Rico.
When: 2014.
Age: 80.
An 80-year-old Puerto Rican woman was a guest at her own wake, after her daughter placed her mother's body centre stage in her favourite rocking chair. Georgina Chervony Lloren, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, had told her daughter she wanted to be a part of her own wake.
When Ms Lloren died of natural causes, her daughter Miriam Chervony dressed her mother in her wedding gown from her second marriage and sat her in a rocking chair for the duration of the gathering.