Free burial story makes nationwide headlines
by Staff reports
8 months ago | 14591 views | 32 32 comments | 61 61 recommendations | email to a friend | print
A Rome funeral home’s somewhat macabre pledge to offer a free burial to unlucky and irresponsible New Year’s Eve drivers has made national headlines.

Motorists who plan to drink or use drugs have until noon today to sign a contract at Rome’s McGuire, Jennings, & Miller Funeral Home that would lead to what amounts to a free funeral if the driver is killed in a wreck tonight.

After being posted at RN-T.com earlier this week, the story was also picked up by the New York Times, CNN, The Associated Press, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and others.

It was also the most read story at RN-T.com with more than 7,100 views by late Wednesday.

Barry Miller said that no one has ever signed the contract during the 10 years that the funeral home has offered the deal.

“I use that contract as a tool to make people stop and think,” said Miller.

Miller said he’s been associated with funeral homes across 13 states that have offered the drunk driver awareness campaign, but has never heard of anyone who actually signed the contract.

The funeral home will provide the embalming services, the casket, the vault, a grave, limousine services, facilities and staff for a chapel or church service and a bronze marker, as well as 100 engraved thank you cards.

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comments (32)
« pcbtaxwatch wrote on Thursday, Dec 31 at 06:40 PM »
This is just another one of those professional ad campaigns by these corporate owned out of town owner funeral homes.

You can spot these guys miles away.

Locally owned businesses would never do anything like this.

« ageolderdude wrote on Thursday, Dec 31 at 04:38 PM »
Folks yall are so missing the point the funeral homes..and yes that is plural.. are attempting to make...because this one is not the only funeral home making this offer...it is to detour people from driving impaired...try having an open mind...
« toak wrote on Wednesday, Dec 30 at 08:44 PM »
Whowns,

I agree with you. Its utterly outrageous that this funeral home is doing something that will help prevent future alcohol deaths. Thats a slap in the face to all those who died in alcohol related ways. They should apologize to all the dead for doing something to prevent future alcohol related deaths so the dead don't get angry about someone taking notice of their deaths and doing something to stop it helping from others
« Earleen wrote on Wednesday, Dec 30 at 07:37 PM »
Funguy1969 I wish you could learn to read! I said it was NOT the drunk drivers that die it is the honest hard working people that they hit! I just hope you are nice to your kids because they will be the ones to pick your nursing home.
« ageolderdude wrote on Wednesday, Dec 30 at 04:54 PM »
children..children...behave...
« Whowns wrote on Wednesday, Dec 30 at 04:46 PM »
my brother stayed home and didn't get a free funeral. you have a law suit in the making. our limosine broke down at the graveyard too. you owe all drunken conduct related deaths appologies for this. Happy New Year.
« janreynoldsdavishis wrote on Wednesday, Dec 30 at 03:10 PM »
« sl1 wrote on Wednesday, Dec 30 at 01:18 PM »
If I get too hammered I always use my riding mower to get into town.
« Mipoco wrote on Wednesday, Dec 30 at 12:54 PM »
Montezuma wrote: "Mipoco: You are one of the biggest idiots I have ever had the displeasure of meeting online."

Thank you, thank you very much. You should know about "idiots" as you have the first and last word on it as shown in your post below.

Montezuma wrote:

FIRST sentence: "I will sign up for this offer."

LAST sentence: "There are some really big freaking idiots in this town. "

Yep first and last. SROFLMAO. FYI: S=Still
« ElephantWhip wrote on Wednesday, Dec 30 at 12:49 PM »
Oh, Monti, I have missed you. You're so cute.

"What happens when someone, who might be extremely strapped for cash and is terminally ill, decides to sign up for this offer and ends up taking someone else with them when they go drinking or using drugs and driving?"

Well, I guess, since hell will have frozen over at that point, they will slip and slide into heaven, of course! And then Lucifer, in order to make some cash to turn the heat back on, will represent the terminally ill patient's surviving family in hopes of collecting funeral expenses from the funeral home based on this contract. Haven't you been in law school? When ol' Scratch loses the case, the family will have a legal malpractice suit against him and petition for a preliminary injunction to keep him from collecting their souls. But he wouldn't be able to collect them anyway because hell would still be frozen over!

Meanwhile, terminally ill drunk driver will be looking down from above, smirking at the foresight of the blogger Monti, who predicted his wreck approximately 36 hours before it happened!

« Montezuma wrote on Wednesday, Dec 30 at 12:23 PM »
Mipoco: You are one of the biggest idiots I have ever had the displeasure of meeting online. I am not sure if it was your goal to be a complete and utter loser at life, or if it has happened by mistake, but you should seriously rethink your standing in life. I was making a point, not making plans for my DUI death on New Years Eve. I should not be surprised by your stupid remarks, given your previous post on other news articles.

I would also like to correct a glaring mistake in your post. "ROFLMAO. Just remember you are the one that said it." First off, I detest idiots that start sentences with "internet shorthand", such as "lol", "rofl", or "roflcopter", or any other "quantity of stupid". What are you, a 12 year old chatting with friends on Facebook? Secondly, it is "...you were the one"...", not "...you are the one...". I previously posted that remark; I am not currently saying it.
« tedb3rd wrote on Wednesday, Dec 30 at 10:17 AM »
Clarification: I don't have a problem with this promotion. Drunk drivers should get, ummm... about ZERO chances to ever come close to anything more dangerous than a tricycle after they have been caught.

The only problem is that it never seems to be the drunk that dies. It's the innocent victim(s) that were obeying the law. What the funeral home should do is make the drunk SIGN/AGREE TO PAY FOR THE FUNERAL OF THE INNOCENT VICTIM(S)...

The only cost that should be covered for the drunk driver that caused the deaths is enough to cart off/dump the body somewhere it can't be smelt by everybody else.

If the thought of drinking and driving ever crossed my mind, something more like that would make me 'stop to think.'
« Mipoco wrote on Wednesday, Dec 30 at 09:34 AM »
Montezuma wrote: "I will sign up for this offer. There are some really big freaking idiots in this town."

ROFLMAO. Just remember you are the one that said it.
« Videlicit wrote on Wednesday, Dec 30 at 02:33 AM »
Business with their marketing ideas. This is not a win-win service. The sad thing is--there are people who are suicidal. I can imagine those who will acutually take up this offer with intent to get blasted. Promoting this unfortunate not-so-well-thought-out promotion (stupid in my opinion), I can see the grieving family suing--since the alcoholic depressed holiday-blues individual was ironically encouraged. Hell, let's take the financial burden off the surviving family. With an experience attorney, case law will prevail. Each potential drunk who signs up is one major potential civil action. Double whame if a victim is involved. I can see a bankruptcy Chapter 7 in the works.

« iKnowIt wrote on Tuesday, Dec 29 at 11:54 PM »
I have to disagree 100% with you Earleen. When my daughter died several years ago they were wonderful to deal with and not only donated their services but also a grave site. I don't consider them "a joke" at all. I will never forget their kindness at a terrible point in my life.
« ageolderdude wrote on Tuesday, Dec 29 at 11:19 PM »
Well I hope everyone has a safe New Years Eve..but people drivng impaired is NO JOKE!! Its very deadly and some people think nothing of driving impaired daily..I salute the funeral home for making people wake up and think about it..a dui is very bad..and dead is forever..think about that........
« mcguiran1 wrote on Tuesday, Dec 29 at 09:11 PM »
Mrs. Earleen, what nursing home do you work at?
« Funguy1969 wrote on Tuesday, Dec 29 at 09:04 PM »
Mrs. Earleen, which nursing home do you work at anyway? Did you know I had a sister –in-law to get killed by a drunk driver in 1993? Are your glad my sister-in-law dead? Why do you HATE these funeral Directors so much? Is it because your not smart enough to be one? I hope you don’t beat your patients where you work.

Have a Bless Day
« Earleen wrote on Tuesday, Dec 29 at 06:20 PM »
This is crazy! Everybody knows that the drunk drivers are the ones that always survive! Its the honest hardworking people that get killed. Our society has taken this holiday that used to be fun and made it too scary to go out. This funeral home is a joke anyway! They may give a free funeral but dont look for them to be nice to your loved ones. I work in a nursing home and this is the least requested funeral home in Rome.
« Montezuma wrote on Tuesday, Dec 29 at 06:11 PM »
I will sign up for this offer. The funeral home can call the police if they wish, but there is nothing the police can do, unless I am actually DUI. What are the police going to do? Stalk me until they catch me drunk? No, they cannot do that.

This is a rather tasteless idea and I think that whomever decided to pull this little stunt should be raked over the coals. What happens when someone, who might be extremely strapped for cash and is terminally ill, decides to sign up for this offer and ends up taking someone else with them when they go drinking or using drugs and driving?

There are some really big freaking idiots in this town.