A healthy 30-year-old woman has revealed she has already planned her own funeral – from the playlist to her outfit.
Katie Cosgrove of Buffalo, New York, first became fascinated with death at the age of 15, after tragically losing her father, Bob Mariacher, at the age of 82.
This eventually led her to pursue a career as a death doula, which is someone who helps people cope with the loss of a loved one, ad it is his profession that opened his eyes to funerals.
The young woman has already prepared for her own farewell and, although her family thinks it is “morbid”, Katie believes it is crucial to do that planning at a young age.
Katie Cosgrove, from Buffalo, New York, has revealed that she has already planned her own funeral, from the playlist to her outfit.
She became fascinated with death at the age of 15 after tragically losing her father, Bob Mariacher, at the age of 82.
This led her to pursue a career as a death doula, which is someone who helps people cope with the loss of a loved one, and it is her profession that opened her eyes to funerals.
Katie’s funeral plans include a detailed end-of-life Spotify playlist, featuring music from Selena Gomez, John Mayer, Queen and Coldplay, as well as her favorite flowers, a special shroud and more.
Katie shared: ‘There should be fresh flowers every day, ideally lilies, lilacs or daisies.
‘People can come and go as they please and no one needs to feel obligated to stay with me all the time or greet or entertain people.
‘I’ve created my own end-of-life playlist and I’d like it to play in the background.
‘I want to be wrapped in silk and covered in little memories that honor my relationships.
“At the end of the two days, I would like to have a short ritual with poetry reading and be held by my closest family members.”
She continued: ‘So, I will be moved to a cremation center where I will be cremated.
“I would like my ashes to be bottled in small bottles and distributed to my family and friends at a celebration of life party one year after my death.”
The young woman has already prepared for her own farewell and, although her family thinks it is “morbid”, Katie believes that such planning is crucial to do it early in life.
Katie has set aside $9,195 for the ceremony and plans to pay this cost before she passes away to prevent others from having to foot the bill.
Katie has set aside $9,195 for the ceremony and plans to pay this cost before she passes away to prevent others from having to foot the bill.
She estimates the cremation alone will cost more than $4,400.
‘I chose to plan my own funeral to be prepared because we never know when we are going to die.
‘A common fear of aging people is that they will become a burden on their family, but the only burden I see is not being prepared for one’s own death.
‘Burden your family with decisions they have to make in the midst of insurmountable pain.
‘It’s never too early to plan! Plus, putting your own touch on your funeral can make it so much more beautiful and really help people grieve in an inspiring way.’
Despite wanting to be prepared, her family believes her plans are “premature,” to say the least.
“I think some of my family and friends think it’s a little premature to plan this or morbid to think about.
“It’s a common misconception in our society to think that talking about death will make it come faster; I don’t think so.”
“I believe that talking about death can help us live purposeful and motivated lives, relieve stress for our family members when [the time comes] and give us control over something we normally feel is out of our control.’
Centering her life around death, Katie helps others come to terms with grief, as well as reassures those at the end of their lives.
Katie’s funeral plans include a detailed end-of-life Spotify playlist, including music from Selena Gomez, John Mayer, Queen and Coldplay.
Centering her life around death, Katie helps others come to terms with grief, as well as reassures those at the end of their lives.
‘I have always felt the need to help my community in some way and I feel fortunate enough to now be able to feel comfortable with death and sit with the dying, while many people struggle with this.
‘The most common role of a death doula is to advocate for the dying to their healthcare team and sometimes even to family and friends.
‘They review the person’s dying wishes and help them become as emotionally, spiritually and physically healthy as possible to help mitigate any regrets or anxiety at the end of life.
“I wish there was a death doula present for my loved ones when they were dying and now I can be that person for others.”