coffin news stories on Newser

Oswald Brother Furious About Coffin Sale

Rob Quinn — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 01:57:26 CST

Lee Harvey Oswald's brother says he bought the pine box the presidential assassin was buried in and a funeral home had no right to auction it off earlier this month. The coffin—which was replaced when Oswald was reburied in 1981—fetched $87,469. But Robert Oswald says it's not...

Oswald's Coffin Up for Auction

Kevin Spak — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 13:37:57 CST

A funeral home is selling off maybe the creepiest piece of Kennedy memorabilia ever: the coffin Lee Harvey Oswald was originally buried in. The coffin was dug up in 1981 to settle a dispute between Oswald’s widow and brother over whether a lookalike Russian agent had been buried in the...

Prince Charles Pushes Woolen Coffins

Rob Quinn — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 05:43:14 CDT

Prince Charles—who recently stressed the value of woolen clothes for sustainable living —believes the material is perfect for sustainable dying as well. The prince asked for a selection of woolen coffins, which are reinforced with recycled cardboard and can feature a personalized embroidered nameplate, to be displayed prominently at...

Woman Hides in Coffin to Escape Police

Kate Schwartz — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:40:00 CDT

From the brilliant criminals department: Upon arriving at a correctional facility after being arraigned on two outstanding warrants, a Philadelphia woman decided she "just couldn't do this," wrestled free, and ran away. A still-handcuffed Nicole Kelly, 19, managed to shake the authorities who chased her, ducked into the Brown Funeral...

Jack Nicholson Wouldn't Mind Being Eaten by Vultures

Will McCahill — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:45:00 CST

At 72, Jack Nicholson has been thinking about death, or, more particularly, burial arrangements. One option he finds appealing, he tells German TV, is a Native American practice that would leave his body to the vultures. “I liked the nature of the Indians who haul their bodies up into the...

Wal-Mart Enters Coffin Biz

Rob Quinn — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:08:06 CDT

America's leading big-box store is now also a pine box store. Wal-Mart has started selling a range of discount coffins on its website and plans to expand its death products to include pet urns and memorial jewelry. Prices start at just $895 for a steel coffin. Funeral home owners say...

Media Lose Interest in War Dead: Only AP Shoots Coffins

Kevin Spak — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:13:27 CDT

Back when George W. Bush was president, the media made a big fuss about the administration’s refusal to allow the press to photograph soldiers’ coffins, saying it hid the true cost of the war. President Obama lifted the ban in April, and the media flocked to snap shots of that...

Jackson May Be on View in Glass Coffin

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:53:33 CDT

Michael Jackson’s funeral could be as lavish as one of his concerts. His body will reportedly be transported in a horse-drawn carriage, and he could be on view in a glass coffin. “The glass casket idea would create so much public interest it would take time to organize,” a source...

Should We Allow Coffin Pics?

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:26:03 CST

President Obama is reviewing a media ban at Dover Air Force Base, where dead soldiers arrive in flag-draped coffins, but "in truth, it's not an easy issue," John Barry writes in Newsweek . There is widespread support for raising the ban "as a way of reminding the public of the cost...