Mormon Funerals--A Follow Up to Funeral Potatoes

I probably should have clarified why Funeral Potatoes are called Funeral Potatoes. My friend Kyles wanted to know, and that prompted more musings about Mormon funerals in general.

Kyles they are called funeral potatoes because they are usually served at the family dinner that occurs after Mormon funerals. This is a very tender event where the women of the local congregation feed the family members who have gathered for the funeral and they have a chance to comfort each other and catch up. Funerals are most often held at the church, and the family returns to the church after the burial for a little impromptu family reunion.

Mormon funerals, especially when the person has lived a long and satisfying life, have such a sweet and loving character. They are usually a chance to share family stories and catch up with long-lost relatives--a family historian's dream. I like to take along a notebook and/or a tape recorder.

I think that the Mormon funeral is somewhat unique, although I've only been to a few funerals that were not decidedly Mormon in nature (even when the person who died was not really very active in the Church, if they were ever a member or have relatives who are, the funeral tends to take on that flavor, at least here in Salt Lake). Course that could also be that my own worldview permeating my perspective. The LDS view on death is that it's a time for sadness for those who are left behind missing their loved one, but it is also a time to rejoice for the person who has been released from pain, suffering, and the sorrows of mortality. We have such a strong conviction that we will see each other again, whether it is a family member or a friend. My experience has been that the Lord's comfort and peace is the primary feeling I come away with from a family funeral, even when I feel a great sense of loss as well.