The Kiwi Coffin Club, founded in Rotorua, New Zealand in 2010, has current membership of over sixty and aims to end the stereotypical boring funeral. Members of the club gather to design, craft, and decorate their future coffins. As part of their general meetings, members enjoy tea and offer each other support through the aging process, showing that growing older and contemplating death does not always have to be a bleak, soulless drudgery. Jean McGaffin, one of the original founders, notes that once “you get past 73, funerals come too frequently — so pricey and no personality. What’s the point of living a life that’s colorful and bold, and then you’re told, ‘This is how your exit’s going to be: boring!’”
See Grace Birnstengel, What to Spice up Your Own Funeral? Join a Coffin Club, MarketWatch, November 25, 2017.
Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.) for bringing this article to my attention.
