s8tenklaus

Cremation! So among the stories I can write for ,here is one about tattoos. I had a gentleman come in after a suicide. He had an autopsy and was pretty cut up and messy. The family didnt want to view him but his daughter wanted photos of his unfinished shoulder,chest, arm tattoo. I cleaned him up and while I was holding and pulling his arm up we snapped all the pictures of his tattoo we could get. It was large and intricate of a mystical Chinese animal(I wont be exact for anonymity). Anyway the daughter was pleased with the pictures as she wanted to have this tattoo done on her arm.
Usually in the boxes, I see crucifixes, sympathy cards, pictures or flowers. I think this is the first time I have seen someone use a tattoo for memorial. I know people put names for tattoos in memoriam all the time, but this is the first time I have done this in a funeral home/crematory setting. Like many people/deceased that I see ,I often wonder what was thier story, did they die alone, with familymaybe with any regrets? Then reality sets in and I get back to work while the machines beckon feed me