The loss of my son | Page 2 | EVERYTHING ELSE OFF TOPIC | Forum

I'm sorry to hear of your loss.

I lost one of my brothers suddenly. There are six kids in our family so when we found out about my brother, we asked, "What can we do for Gavin (my brother)?" We decided to make his coffin. All the family chipped in, it was our way of saying Good-Bye. The brothers made the box (we were told by the funeral home that the body can`t fall out the bottom).
Cut a 4x8 sheet of 19mm plywood in half, set one half on top of the other, draw the pattern and cut both sheets at once. Use 4mm wall paneling for the sides, add a inside stiffner for the top to fasten down to and support for 3 handles on each side. Make your own handles, you are a Blacksmith.
The sister and sisters-in-law picked out the fabric for the inside, the sides only get fastened at the top edge of the side stiffener, the bottom edges overlap in the middle of the bottom.
The finish for the outside goes on last.
The night before we took the coffin to the funeral home, all the kids drew pictures and wrote things on the inside of the box. Their way of saying Good-Bye. It wasn`t all finished until a roach of BC Bud was stitched into the lining. If there is going to be a cremation, make it worth while!!

That is how our family said Good-Bye to a very important member of our family. That was in 1988 and the kids still sometimes talk of Uncle Gavin`s coffin.

Sincerely,
Neil