As unnerving as some of us would find being alone with a dead body, it's an everyday thing for morticians and funeral directors. But even when you're used to dealing with the dead, life is full of surprises. And when something can creep out even the most experienced funeral worker, you know it must be really weird.
So whether it's from the bodies themselves or funeral mishaps, these 15 bizarre sights managed to stand out for funeral workers.
COMMENT if you've seen some grisly things yourself.
1. Corpses will sometimes sit up.
It's rare enough to surprise funeral workers when it happens, but rigor mortis can do some weird things.
2. Bodies can also get erections.
It's called "angel lust". It apparently pops up when you prepare a body a certain way.
3. Some corpses can get a little grabby.
A tissue recovery tech once had a donor wrap his fingers around their hand while they were shaving him. Again, rigor mortis can be a strange beast.
4. One funeral director had a big Christmas delivery.
Her San Diego facility ran out of space so she had to drive to LA at midnight with 11 corpses in her van. Yikes.
5. One mortician had to prepare her own son for his funeral.
She reported loving the job, but that drove her to retire early.
6. If the funeral involves animals, they don't always make it.
One funeral procession had a horse pull the hearse, but the animal was killed by an impatient driver.
7. One man died drunk at his father's funeral.
He struggled with his drinking and slumped in a chair after paying his respects. When his wife went to wake him up, he had been dead for an hour.
8. When a twin brother attended the funeral of his dead brother,
he was dressed in the same outfit as the deceased.
9. An elderly woman had an interesting last request.
She had a glass eye and wanted it kept wide open for the funeral.
10. Corpses are just really gross.
It's not out of the ordinary for a mortician to be covered in blood, vomit and feces by the time they're finished with a body.
11. One morgue owner was really tired of people stealing coins.
They used to put coins on a corpse's eyes to keep them from opening, which attracted thieves. So the owner pretended to be dead and yelled "Hey! Gimmie me back my coins" when the thief showed up.
He never came back.
He never came back.
12. Corpses aren't always so quiet.
If they still have some air in their lungs, they can gurgle, moan or even shudder.
13. They tell you not to release doves for a reason.
One family did it anyway, and the doves were soon attacked by hawks.
14. Be careful walking through old cemeteries.
As one poor little girl found out, sometimes graves can collapse. When a family friend picked her up, a corpse's arm bone came with her.
15. One assistant got a morbid surprise.
They were asked to clean a corpse's eyes but opened the lids to find out they had already been removed.
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