Every day, our ASD Call Specialists handle all kinds of calls—some routine, some emotional, and every now and then, some that are truly unbelievable. Recently, ASD asked our staff to flag their most unbelievable calls to feature as the Call of the Month in our monthly newsletter. As the person tasked with monitoring this mailbox, I cannot overstate how many times my jaw has dropped listening to some of these conversations. One thing I have learned is super common are the wild funeral home requests our Call Specialists handle from callers with an unusual need.
You know the phrases, “it can’t hurt to ask” or “the worst they can say is no” – well people really do follow that philosophy when deciding if they should call a funeral home with their crazy questions. I’ve often wished I could hear the funeral home’s response to these inquiries. What do you say to someone who wants you to lie to their job for them or build a Roblox version of the funeral home? Here at ASD, we always offer to take a message, no matter how astonishing we might find the request. Behind the scenes however, we’re often left with many unanswered questions like, “was a treasure really hidden in the funeral home?”
Read on for the 8 of the most unbelievable funeral home requests ASD has ever received
Every request on the list below comes from a real call ASD has handled within the past six months.
1. Will you lie for me?
We got a call from a guy who had already dug himself six feet deep in a lie and was now trying to outsource the cover story. He told his job his grandmother had died and that her funeral was being handled by one of our funeral homes. When he called the funeral home, he asked the Call Specialists if she could lie for him if anyone called to verify her story. She told him she could relay a message to the staff and took down the name of his fake dead grandmother, but jury is still out on whether or not the funeral director agreed to be his alibi.
2. Can I take my prom photos at your funeral home?
We have to give this caller credit for thinking outside the box. Imagine you wanted to take your prom photos outside surrounded by colorful flowers, but the weather just won’t cooperate? Eureka – I have an idea! Let’s take them at a funeral home! Oddly enough, prom and funeral homes have crossed paths before. Back in 2017, Megan Flaherty from Pennsauken, NJ made headlines when she showed up to junior prom in a hearse — and even climbed out of a coffin in the back. So maybe this isn’t as random as it sounds. And honestly? Funeral homes do photograph surprisingly well. Between the lighting, décor, floral arrangements, and polished interiors, there are definitely worse places to take prom pictures. We’re still curious whether the funeral home said yes — and what those photos ended up looking like.
3. I would like to claim the treasure! Am I the first?
Earlier this month, one of our Call Specialists answered a call from a man on a mission—he said he was calling about “the treasure hunt” and needed it clearly noted that he was the first person to report it. No context, no explanation, just absolute certainty that this was a real and very important situation. He sounded completely confident that somewhere, somehow, a funeral home was involved in hiding treasure, and he was determined to secure his place at the front of the line. We still don’t know what treasure he might have been referring to but maybe we’ll get lucky and find out more in a Netflix documentary one day.
4. Can I hunt for some ghosts at your funeral home?
The song goes, “Who you gonna call, Ghostbusters!” but who do the ghostbusters call when they can’t find any ghosts to bust? Our clients, that’s who! Recently, ASD handled a call from a bonafide ghost hunter looking for a place to unearth some spirits or, as he put it, “conduct a paranormal investigation.” Our Call Specialist took the message without missing a beat. Just another day where “Is it haunted?” makes the list right next to service times and directions.
5. What are the rules concerning hats?
One of the funeral home requests we heard recently really cracked us up, not so much because of the question asked but more the way you can’t help but imagine the story behind it. A man called in and stated that his father in law’s funeral was going to take place in the coming week and he was concerned because his daughter was dating a guy who is very self-conscious that he is balding and therefore wears a hat that he refuses to ever take off. The father stated that he didn’t think it was appropriate to wear a hat to the funeral but “didn’t know what the rules are.” You can’t help but imagine the dad wanting to so bad to be able to tell his daughter, “Yeah the funeral home confirmed you’re not allowed to walk into a funeral service with a hat on. They will physically stop anyone who tries. Guess Chad can’t come.”
6. Can you help me build a funeral home on Roblox?
One ASD Call Specialist recently received a call from someone with a very specific question: could they describe the funeral home’s casket selection room in detail? Naturally, the operator assumed they were interested in preplanning or maybe a sale representative from a casket company. Nope. After gathering the caller’s information, he explained that he was building the funeral home inside Roblox and wanted it to be as realistic as possible. Honestly, you have to respect the commitment. Somewhere out there is probably a tiny virtual funeral director giving tours of a meticulously accurate casket showroom.
7. Would you help me cremate…
Honestly, we get a lot of strange “would you help me cremate XYZ” calls and they somehow always manage to catch us off guard. One of the most common ones come from those who have had a part of their body amputated or removed during surgery and want to have it cremated. This honestly makes a lot of sense – we can completely understand how it would feel wrong for a part of your body to be treated as medical waste. Still, we can’t deny it can be jarring to answer a call and have someone ask if they can have their uterus cremated. A few other unusual cremation requests we have heard include a motorcycle helmet and a parrot that had been in a freezer for 15 years. What’s the strangest thing a family has asked your funeral home to cremate?
8. Can you take these teeth off my hands?
Another eyebrow-raising funeral home requests we handled earlier this year came from a town fire department official who had an unusual problem that was gnawing at him. The gentleman stated that an anonymous person had dropped off several jars of teeth and he wanted to know how to dispose of them property. Slightly caught off guard by the request, the Call Specialist inquired furthered, “Are they dentures?” to which the fire department official replied, “No, they’re just random teeth. It’s kind of weird.” We would definitely agree there! Talk about a message that really took a bite out of the ordinary!
What are some of the most unusual requests you have received throughout your career as a funeral director? Share in the comments below.
Related Reading
ASD Call Specialists Reveal 24 of the Most Shocking Calls Answered for Funeral Homes
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