When Embalming Goes Wrong

The Nelms Memorial Funeral Home forgot to embalm the body of Norman Holman. So when everyone showed up for his open-casket memorial service, they found him rotting in the casket. Adding insult to injury, the air conditioning chose that time to quit working, thereby accelerating the process of decomposition. According to the attorney of Holman's family, "There was dirt underneath his fingernails and people were dry heaving and gagging there at the church." Link waaytv.com

Who We Are
Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jul 24, 2012
Category: Death

Comments

That is truly horrifying. I feel so sorry for the poor family. How did it get that bad with no one realizing it before the services though? Awful, just awful.

Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 07/24/12 at 09:18 AM

And that, kiddies, is why the tradition of giving flowers at funerals was started.

Quote from the director at Nelms, "Oops!".

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 07/24/12 at 10:21 AM

My parents have arranged to be burned when they go and we took advantage of it when Mom died earlier this year. No muss, no fuss. She is parked on the mantel at their house until we arrange to split her up and put a part with her parents in Nebraska, part with her brother in Washington and part of her here in Oklahoma with us. We'll do the same kind of thing with Dad when he goes. You couldn't get away with that when you have a whole body to cut up.

Posted by KDP on 07/24/12 at 10:27 AM

Sure you can KDP... mummify them... I claim the tiny shrunken head

Posted by Fluffy Bunny Slippers on 07/24/12 at 03:24 PM

Phrase you do not want to hear at the funeral...'I want a leg'

Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 07/24/12 at 10:39 PM

Commenting is not available in this channel entry.