Why I decided to help with funerals

I believe that having a terminal illness does not have to mean stop living but instead to live your best life. When I was diagnosed with Stage 4 terminal kidney cancer I looked at my left hand and said this is the hand God dealt me so it is the one I have to play. So play it I have. This cancer has let me do things I never thought possible in my life before. I have met so many amazing people, been to countless places and done  things I never would have done before.  All because I chose to live and not feel sorry for myself. 

Don Caskey

I was adopted when I was only 2 months old and I have known I was since I could talk. I remember my Father always telling me he named me after him so I would always know that just because I was adopted did not mean that he loved me any less and in fact I made me special because he chose me. He always made sure to come pick my bother and me up for his time with us. He also came to as many activities he could make it to even if he had to make the three hour round trip to be there. 

He spent most of his adult life in the funeral business and even lived in a house in a cemetery for several years. When I was a kid I can remember looking out from my bedroom window at his house and seeing a field of gravestones. That cemetery is where he is buried now next to my Grandparents. 

I learned to drive in that cemetery when I was around 10yrs old. He made sure to that he taught my Brother and me in a truck with a manual transmission. He said that if we could drive a stick we could drive anything and would never be stranded. 

I could write a book about my memories of my Dad but let me just say he was an amazing man. He is the reason I decided to start StrangerInk Foundation. I believe we should all live our best life while we are on this Earth and having a terminal illness should not stop you from doing just that.

According to the US Federal Reserve  “40% of Americans can’t even afford an unexpected expense of just $400, according to the Federal Reserve, the notion of a proper funeral and burial has become, for many people, an unattainable luxury”.  And, when families cannot afford to claim the body, the burden falls on local governments to handle the remains. 

What happens if you can't afford a funeral?  The harsh reality is, there are some circumstances where a family or individual will be completely unable to pay for a funeral, even after exhausting other options. If you’re unable to pay for a funeral, you’ll need to sign the body over to the coroner who will handle the disposition of the body. If a family can’t pay for a funeral or afford the disposition costs, their family member will likely be buried in an indigent cemetery -- a cemetery for those who can’t afford to be buried elsewhere. 

 Deaths, of course, are often unexpected. And expensive.  According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the median price for a full funeral and burial in 2019 was $9,135 

We are in the process of raising money, getting grants and running our 420 raffle to help us to help others