They help people plan a grand send-off

C.R. ROBERTS; c.r.roberts@thenewstribune.com
Last updated: June 10th, 2008 06:38 AM (PDT)

A woman planning her own imminent funeral wanted the viewing to include a mechanical device attached to her lifeless arm that would wave it back and forth – to say goodbye.

This was too much even for LaFleur. Not only was the idea a bit creepy, she said last week, but it might also scare people who had come to pay their respects.

LaFleur, who also owns an insurance agency, and Johnston, a licensed funeral director, are partners in the year-old enterprise. They offer traditional industry services – embalming, cremation, funeral arrangements, disposition of remains – and they also go a bit further.

If requested, they will be glad to put the fun back in funerals.

They will assist families of the deceased in the selection of a venue and a theme for funeral services – perhaps a luau at the beach, or a final trip to Margaritaville with Jimmy Buffett tunes playing. A family might choose to celebrate a life spent square dancing, or the memory of a motorcycle enthusiast might be celebrated with remains placed in a mini-hearse towed behind a Harley-Davidson.

“You can have any kind of service you want,” said LaFleur, sitting in her Parkland office.

There is no funeral parlor at Grand Departures, no funeral home.

“It’s very low overhead. We own the building. There is no mortuary,” said Dave Tosch, a retired lieutenant colonel and intern funeral director associated with the firm.

Mortuary support services are contracted through a company in Kent.

“They have staff to do removals, refrigeration, embalming, cremation,” said Johnston. “They have a hearse we can utilize. Rather than us maintaining that facility, we call on them when we need them.”

Along with services aimed at the deceased, Grand Departures offers options for those who merely anticipate their demise.

“We allow people to have their funeral while they’re alive,” LaFleur said.

She calls these gatherings “living celebrations,” and the concept includes publishing “prebits” – pre-obituaries – in a newspaper.

“I feel that we’re cutting edge,” LaFleur said. “I’m looking at a lot of people who complain about funerals, and how depressing they are. We’re looking at the baby boomers. They’re looking at death differently. We’re making a funeral more user-friendly.”

“I’ m from the traditional side. Some of these approaches were scary,” said Johnston.

J. C. Barr of Edmonds is a member of the board of the Washington State Funeral Directors Association. He is not familiar with Grand Departures, but he understands the concept.

“I don’t think that it’s particularly off the wall,” he said. “Funeral homes have been moving toward providing services that may be a little different, expanding offerings, catering events.”

Many traditional funeral homes offer a long menu of what they provide, he said. “Frequently people will come in after spending a great deal of time planning it on their own when we have the services.”

Innovation is not lost at the funeral home where Barr serves as general manager, he said. For example, he notes a new line of biodegradable urns fit for sinking in a watery resting place.

As to the future of businesses such as Grand Departures, Barr said, “I think profession-wide, time will tell how the low-overhead, low-cost providers will perform. There are still a great deal of folks who are willing to seek value and spend a little bit more than (with) the cheapest alternative.”

LaFleur offers a price list describing various products – including direct cremation, graveside rites, full funerals – that her firm provides. She also cites prices charged by several other Pierce County funeral homes. However, one county funeral home offers on its Web site to match any written offer. As with most things, it is best for the consumer to check and compare prices before signing a contract.

For Adam Lamb, a Bothell firefighter whose mother recently died, Grand Departures did just fine.

“My mother was an eccentric British woman,” Lamb said. “Mary helped us with the whole transaction. A lot of people don’t want the tragedy of it all. A lot of people want to celebrate.”

The transition for Lamb’s family included champagne and pizza the night before his mother passed. A bagpiper played at her funeral.

LaFleur, he said, “got us all little urns in purple velvet boxes. That was my mom’s favorite color. (LaFleur) made it simple and easy, and we enjoyed ourselves. I can’t say enough.”

Judith Martin of Tacoma lost her husband last New Year’s Eve, and she sought the services provided by Grand Departures after reading a flier provided by her pastor. The funeral included a flag, the playing of taps and other traditional offerings.

“They carried out all of my wishes,” Martin said last week. “I would offer their name to a neighbor in a heartbeat.”

Even if she doesn’t like it.

“The name Grand Departures almost turned me off,” Martin said. “I still don’t like” the name.

Neither, at first, did Johnston.

“I hated it,” he said. “Now I’m coming around to it.”

LaFleur first presented Johnston with the idea of Grand Departures 18 months ago when he was an associate at her insurance office.

“I told him, ‘I think we should open a funeral home.’ He just looked at me, befuddled. That look of ‘She’s nuts’ came over his face.”

Johnston recalled, “It took me a while to chew on it.”

C.R. Roberts: 253-597-8535

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Grand Departures

Business: Funeral services

Address: 321S. 138th St., Parkland

Partners: Mary LaFleur and Bob Johnston

Offering: Organization of “living celebrations” prior to passing; “life celebrations” after passing include traditional and nontraditional funerals.

Marketing: Word-of-mouth and contact with health care providers and clergy; LaFleur is also developing a PowerPoint presentation concerning the importance of letting family members know one’s wishes.

Web site: www.granddepartures.com

Originally published: June 10th, 2008 01:22 AM (PDT)