When the pallbearers brought Phil McLean's coffin into the chapel, there were gasps before a wave of laughter rippled through the hundreds of mourners.Ross Hall kept the doughnut coffin he made for his late cousin, Phil."The final memory in everyone's mind was of that doughnut, and Phil's sense of humour."
Other creations by Mr Hall include a yacht, a fire truck, a chocolate bar and Lego blocks. There have been glittering coffins covered in fake jewels, a casket inspired by the movie The Matrix, and plenty of coffins depicting people's favourite beaches and holiday spots."There are people who are happy with a brown mahogany box and that's great, but if they want to shout it out, I'm here to do it for them," Mr Hall said.
Some orders are particularly complex, like the sailboat, which included a keel and rudder, cabin, sails, even metal railings and pulleys.Mr Hall said the tone of funerals had changed markedly over recent years.Debra McLean said she and her late husband, who was 68 when he died in February, used to tour the country in their caravan, and Phil loved comparing cream doughnuts in every small town, considering himself something of a connoisseur.
Ms McLean said they even had 150 doughnuts delivered to the funeral in Tauranga from Phil's favourite bakery in Whitianga, more than 160 kilometres away.The only one he's ever gotten back is his cousin's, because in that case he used polystyrene and shaping foam, which is not environmentally friendly.
a friend was farewelled in a plain wood coffin that had brightly coloured handprints and other paintings by his grandkids