DALLAS — Lanese Barnett, marketing director for Tommy’s Terrific Carwash in Dallas, received a call from a representative of the television network TLC who inquired about filming a show at the carwash’s location in East Dallas, according to Advocate Magazine.
The show TLC inquired about was “Best Funeral Ever,” stated the article, and the television network wanted to film a funeral at Tommy’s Terrific Carwash.
The show centers on the work of Golden Gate Funeral Home in South Dallas, the article continued, which has hosted funerals for 35 years.
The majority of the funeral home’s requests are traditional ceremonies, added the article, however 10 percent of families request a celebration, often called a “homegoing,” which is an African-American Christian tradition that celebrates the life of a family’s loved ones who have passed away.
TLC reached out to Barnett regarding a funeral for the late Camon Collins III, whose “prize possession was a 1978 Oldsmobile Omega, meaning he spent a lot of time at carwashes hanging out with his buddies,” the article informed.
Barnett consulted Tom Miller, owner and founder of the carwash, to see if the show would be a good idea for the business, reported the article.
“We ultimately decided that this was something the family had chosen,” said Barnett in the article.
The TLC crew created a replicated casket of Collins’ vehicle to send through the carwash at the end of the funeral service, noted the article, and the crew used a practice casket to send through the wash several times to make sure all the sensors functioned correctly.
“I have to admit, this was a request I never expected,” stated Miller in the article. “In the end, we were honored to participate.”
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