(PCM) The Paradise Funeral Chapel in Saginaw, Michigan that is certainly offering a unique way for friends and loved ones to say goodbye to the deceased. We are fairly certain that they are the very first funeral home to offer a drive-through service!
When you pull up in your car, you first sign the guest book and then as you pull up to the window the curtains pull back and reveal the casket as music plays on overhead speakers. You have about three minutes to say goodbye to the departed without ever leaving your vehicle. The curtain will then close and the whole process would begin again with the next car.
The director of the funeral home claims that he came up with the idea for several reasons, however the two biggest reasons were to allow people with disabilities who would otherwise not be able to attend the viewing a chance to say goodbye to their loved ones and to give people who are deeply afraid of funeral homes an easier way to face their fears. The director also feels it will be a benefit for those could could not make a viewing due to work or other commitments.
The funeral home will be offering up this service to families for no additional charge and is an after-hours feature that the families can choose to utilize or not. It allows people the opportunity to drive up between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. The design uses censors to open the curtains when people drive up and close when they leave.
The Paradise Funeral Chapel has received mixed opinion about the new service feature with some people completely embracing the idea and others finding it to be out right disrespectful.
