Daily Nebraskan

Josh Wolfe/DN Doug Wymore, owner of Fusselman-Wymore-Marshall Funeral Home, says his "victory red" Husker-themed coffins are popular in his Syracuse and Plattsmouth businesses. The $3,900 coffins are not officially licensed Husker [Click to enlarge]

The latest way to show school spirit lasts a lifetime -- and then some -- is with the purchase of a Nebraska-themed coffin.

"Many of us can recognize the role education has played in our lives, goals and accomplishments," said Scott Walston, president of Collegiate Memorials in Macon, Ga., which sells the caskets. "This is a way to pay tribute to the university that has given so much to our lives."

Walston's company offers college-themed caskets for 46 universities across the country. The bright red, University of Nebraska casket comes in metal or wood, and features the Husker logo on the interior lining.

These days, people want personalized funerals, said Brian Harvey, who sells University of Nebraska caskets at Fusselman Wymore Marshall Funeral Home in Syracuse, Neb.

"The biggest innovation in funeral services is how we personalize funerals for each family," Harvey said.

Harvey said he offers the Collegiate Memorials casket along with his own, customized version. Requests for the Cornhusker-red caskets are few, he said, but he has sold three or four in the past five years.

When people see the coffin on display, they tend to have an "oh, my" reaction, he said.

"Most people will look at them and just kind of shake their heads," he said.

Nonetheless, the coffins have found a niche in Nebraska.

Walston said he sold about 50 Nebraska coffins last year, making NU his top seller.

Darcy Lindner, director of Metcalf Funeral Home in Lincoln, had one of Collegiate's caskets on display about a year and a half ago. The coffin was a great discussion piece, she said; it was a nice ice-breaker for new clients.

"It's kind of an upbeat thing when you're dealing with caskets," Lindner said.

Collegiate Memorials' caskets cost from $3,250 to $4,900 -- about $300 to $400 more than regular caskets. The company pays royalty and annual licensing fees, which go back to the college -- a fact not unnoticed by customers, Walston said.

"They've got to buy a casket anyway, so why not buy one that leaves a legacy?" he said.

Mary Egger, funeral director at Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home in Lincoln, has sold one of the caskets.

"The person was a huge Nebraska fan, and right now funeral services are all about the individual and what he would have wanted," she said.

The family who arranged for the casket at Metcalf Funeral Home "thought it was great," Lindner said.

"He was an avid, everyday Joe Husker fan that liked to go to games and listen to them on the radio," she said.

Still, when most people see the caskets on display, the initial reaction is "either a love or hate thing, pretty much," she said.

Despite their uniqueness, the caskets are actually pretty cool, Egger said.

"Just be thankful we don't live in Texas -- those are orange," Egger joked.

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