Florida funeral home puts in wine cellar

NAPLES, Fla., Jan. 22 (UPI) —

A Florida funeral home said its newly installed wine cellar is intended to offer a different type of memorial gathering than the traditional service.

Seth Minso, general manager at Hodges Funeral Home in Naples, said he believes the business is the first funeral home in the United States to add a wine cellar, WZVN-TV, Fort Myers, Fla., reported Wednesday.

"Nobody wants to go to a funeral; nobody wants to stay at a funeral home. So we’ve been renovating things," Minso said.

He said the wine cellar allows the funeral home to offer an alternative form of memorial gathering.

"They still want to have a party, still want to celebrate and have the means to mourn their loved ones … but they don’t want to do it over a person’s body," Minso said. “For the younger generations that’s become such an old fashion idea.

"Our goal is to make people comfortable, almost like they weren’t even in a funeral home," Minso said.

He said his establishment still offers traditional services for those who aren’t interested in the wine cellar.

Minso said he would not be surprised if other funeral homes follow his business’ lead.

"Sure, there are tears, and sure, there’s sadness, but the fact of the matter is there’s a personal way to celebrate somebody," Minso said. "The traditional and religious aspects I believe in. This is just something as an extension to some of the other families. We’re not trying to change what’s important to you — we’re trying to add something that may be important to someone else."