It's been said that when people leave this world, there are certain things they can't take with them. But that hasn't stopped people from going six feet under with something over the top.
When they die, some may be buried with things they enjoyed in life, like a favorite book, pictures of loved ones, or something from their favorite sport. But before they die some have some unusual requests.
Dick Tips has been running Mission Park Funeral Homes and Chapels for decades. "Whether it's a cat. Whether it's a dog. Whether it's a parakeet. Whether it's a snake. Whatever happens to be, so many people have pets, and they are a big part of our lives and we just can't live without them," said Tips.
Some just can't die without them. "The family asked if they could place their pet inside their loved ones casket and we said absolutely not a problem," said Tips. But, there was one hiccup with the situation. Tips said, "The pet was still alive, so we certainly did not want to be part of a euthanasia program and the answer at that point in time was absolutely no."
To many, what they're buried with is just as important as what they are buried in. Like the casket Tips plans to use in his final resting place. It's the same gold casket that two superstars in the music world used, James Brown and Michael Jackson. Today, it would cost about $60,000 just for the casket itself. Tips said, "Some people want Ferraris. I have the Ferrari of caskets."
Speaking of Ferraris, in the Alamo Masonic Cemetery there's a woman buried in a Ferrari. Her car and body have been there for almost 40 years. Her name is Sandra West, and she was a California socialite that had one last request for her burial.
"This is a lady that was so proud of her Ferrari, that when she died, they dressed her in her negligee, and sat her in the driver seat of the Ferrari, and she's buried in that Ferrari," said Edward O'Banion of the Alamo Masonic Cemetery.
How did they do it? "There was a box put around the top," said Tips. "There were about four feet of concrete placed on the top, a lot of steel, and it was lifted in with a crane."
But for many, it's not just what they're buried in, but also how they're remembered. "Families give us a photo of their loved one and we have the cremation, and paint and reuse cremation remains of the loved one," said Kristin Tips of Mission Park Funeral Homes and Chapels. Yes, there are actual human remains in a painting of your loved one, for you to hang on the wall. It may be bizarre to some, but the Tips say it is simply unique, and a way to keep someone at home in their memory.
