An 80-year-old Georgia woman decided to put "fun" back into funerals, throwing her own last rites so she wouldn't miss out on the hijinks.
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The not-at-all-macabre idea popped into Shelvy Neal's head not long after putting her husband in the ground this past March.
"I said, 'You know, I'd love to be at my own funeral,'" the newly minted widow recounted telling her daughter, according to local outlet WMAZ. "Well, why can't you?" her daughter shot back.
And so, the "FOMO funeral" was born. For readers over 60, "FOMO" is a term meaning "fear of missing out."
"It's gonna be about celebrating Christ and my life, 80 years of my life," Neal declared before her own memorial service.
"It's been a good one," she added.
That said, Neal was unusually prepared to hold her own service. As it turns out, she and her late husband sold their Macon, Georgia, home of roughly 25 years to an interesting buyer back in 2020.
Yes, a funeral home bought it.
However, the couple had a request before they signed over the property to the funeral home: a funeral for each of them.
And so, reportedly, around 100 guests attended the 80-year-old's funeral this past Sunday (Oct. 4). The service came complete with a cardboard cutout of Neal laying inside of a coffin and a flower spread she designed herself.
Yes, There Was Cake at This Fun Funeral...
And since this ghoulish celebration doubled as her 80th birthday bash, there was also cake. The baked concoction included an image of a stairway to heaven complete with a set of pearly gates. Written under the image was "FOMO: The funeral she refuses to miss."
To top it all off, a live microphone was set up so partygoers...er, mourners, could say a few words to the not-so-dearly departed... while she watched.
"If they want to, they can say bad things," Neal admitted before her FOMO funeral kicked off.
"But I'm gonna be there, and I might cut the mic. I'm gonna control my own funeral," she joked.
The service punched out with a very special guest speaker... Neal herself.
"I think it will be easier on my family to do something like this, but also, you know, funeral is F-U-N," she explained. "And I like fun."
That said, when the real deal goes down, Neal doesn't want anything fancy. She told WMAZ a plain ol' graveside service would do.
