John Beckwith of Golden Gate Funeral Home defends TLC’s ‘Best Funeral Ever’
Much to the pleasure of some and to the chagrin of others, TLC’s controversial reality show “Best Funeral Ever” is going global. According to mortician John E. Beckwith Jr., the CEO of Golden Gate Funeral Home, the unscripted series that some people love to hate is getting a new African audience.
“TLC is now taking it international; it is now showing in Africa and we’re working on bringing it back domestic as well,” says the undertaker.
Viewers of “Best Funeral Ever” were first introduced to Beckwith and his funeral home with a series of eye-widening episodes. In one, a home going service for a baby back rib lover included live pigs, a barbecue sauce fountain and a barbecue smoker trailer-like casket. On another, a service for an avid breakfast eater included organizers dressed as crispy strips of bacon while a full breakfast was prepared and served near the fruit covered casket. Beckwith maintains however, that while his practices are nontraditional, they’re centered on compassion for the family in mourning.
Below Beckwith details his, at times, contended celebrations of life, and defends his burial business. -danielle canada
How long have you been in the funeral business?
In September it will be 34 years. The business was first founded by my father in 1980 in Waxahachie, Texas. I have served under him my entire life, but also as a licensed mortuary in the funeral home for 28 years.
Why did you decide to do “Best Funeral Ever?”
It allows the public an inside look into funeral service. We believe in an open and honest look. So many families and the public have a different thought when it comes to funeral services, and a lot of times they are limited in the types of funeral services they can have for their loved ones. We believed this was the best way to get that message out nationwide.
Are some of the funerals staged for the camera or is this really how you run Golden Gate?
Every family we serve, we always keep in mind that there is a loved one involved here. No one passes away to be on television, we wouldn’t ever have a family expose themselves in any manner just to be on television. This is their loved one’s life and this is how they’ve chosen to celebrate their life.
What is the most extravagant funeral that you’ve put together for a family in mourning?
It’s hard to compare, we’ve had services [that cost] over $50,000. As far as the type of things we’ve done at a service; we’ve had a shoot-out with the casket because the person loves Westerns, we’ve put a casket on a mechanical bull before, just different things that would represent that person. We just don’t have any limitations when it comes to celebrating life.
Talk to me about criticism.
Of course there’s always criticism regardless [of] what we do; good, bad or indifferent. The good always outweighs the bad, and of course the message is worth it.
What do you want people to know about you and Golden Gate Funeral Home?
I want people to get out of this is that there’s no limitation at celebrating life. We don’t want anyone to just mourn the death of someone, but if that person has lived, then we need to remember them in a positive light and we need to show the world who this person is. Those who choose to attend the service or watch it, they can learn who that person is. Everyone deserves to write a book about themselves and we believe this funeral service gives us the opportunity to show the world who this person is and the things they’ve accomplished in life.
