Writer prepares coffin for her “last event”

New Zealand writer and English tutor Lynda Finn, 65, has anything but your typical car parked in her garage.
Referring to herself as an artist and a great believer in the unnatural, 20 years ago Lynda bought a coffin so she could decorate it after hearing of a man who had made his own.
Lynda says although she knows her sons do not like to think about her death, she decided to save them the expense of paying for a coffin when the time came.

“We never want to lose loved ones, but it’s given me a great deal of comfort to know that instead of paying many thousands of dollars for a casket, they can use one I’ve chosen and decorated myself.”
Lynda purchased her coffin from Just Plane Interesting a quirky shop in Oratia, Auckland, which sells antiques, curios and collectables.
This coffin in particular was from the set of a New Zealand made television series called The Cult.
“It’s quite a heavy piece of furniture and there’s not a lot of room in my garage, so I’ve often had to ask someone help me manoeuvre it and it’s been quite an interesting experience, mainly for the look on people’s faces when they see I want help to move my coffin.”
Lynda has enjoyed decorating her coffin and has found herself quite attached to it. “Oh yes, it’s truly mine now, I wouldn’t want to part with it.”
A proud Yorkshire woman with her heart in New Zealand, Lynda wanted a discreet design for her coffin but one that represented her taste. The lid of the coffin will have a small laminated picture of an outline of New Zealand, with a picture of a Yorkshire rose in the middle of the North Island.
“You can get a lot of satisfaction, and even comfort, from deciding what represents you for your last event.
“As a society we are too scared about death, and working out what you want for your funeral is not only a great, practical idea but it helps your loved ones come to terms with the fact that one day you won’t be here,” Lynda says.