John Gossmann was an all-around outdoorsman who loved the Green Bay Packers and to fish and golf. He had a serious side when it came to his business, but he had a great sense of humor, too.
And so when he passed away last year within months of being diagnosed with stage 4 colon and liver cancer, his family wanted to celebrate, not mourn, his life.
At H.M. Patterson and Son Funeral Home, they planned a service with old-school country music playing in the background and a bar stocked with beer and wine. Guests could take one of the monogrammed golf balls Gossmann’s wife, Gale, purchased for him before he passed at age 64.
“Grab one of John’s balls and hit the links,” a sign suggested.
“It was such a wonderful service,” said Leah Gossmann, John’s daughter-in-law and vice president and director of operations at Six Feet Under Pub and Fish House in Atlanta. “It had such a good vibe and such a good feel to it.”
It used to be send-offs for the dearly departed were solemn and serious, but not so much anymore.
Nowadays, funerals are trending toward a more celebratory tone with more of us preferring a service with a relaxed and reflective atmosphere like the Gossmanns.
To find out more, click here: http://www.myajc.com/news/lifestyles/funerals-with-more-upbeat-tone-arent-just-for-cele/nhWCP/
