There is a curiosity in our culture today about the diversity of customs and traditions surrounding death and the care of the deceased. Montauk Curator Nadine West and a committee of volunteers will share some traditions passed on from the Victorian era, and present the Larrabee mansion in Clermont as it may have been during a time of mourning approximately100 years ago. Dave and Karen Schutte, owners and operators of Schutte Funeral Home in Clermont and Postville, will be on hand to educate visitors before they enter the mansion for an open tour of the home the way it may have been during a time of death and mourning. Presentations will take place at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12.

"This is not a mock funeral," assures West. "We want this to be an educational thing for people of all ages and to promote Montauk."

According to Dave and Karen Schutte, many traditions in practice today stem from customs with roots in superstition and were passed down from the Victorian era and pre-Victorian times. Imagine time travel back to the funeral service of a husband and father 100 years ago.

The door of the home is distinguished with a black crepe badge of death, and violets are scattered atop more of the heavy ebony material on the doorstep. The silence in the old mansion is deafening. The exquisite grandfather clocks are stopped at precisely 3:07 p.m., the exact time of death. Every mirror in the home is draped in black to keep the spirit of the recently deceased from making a permanent home in the house, or reentering anyone who may look into the reflective glass. If the image of the coffin displays in a mirror, a sibling may be the next to expire.

According to committee member Donna Story, the covering of mirrors in a home occurred for several different reasons, always relating to superstitions surrounding who would be the next to die. If a mirror was to fall and break, Story says, it meant someone in the household would die soon.

Stately portraits once exhibited boldly are now turned toward the walls, so the restless spirit is not tempted to possess the paintings or their subjects. Women prepare the body for visitation and burial. The body is lying in state in the great hall where visitors, by invitation only, pay their last respects in hopes of finding some closure. The coffin is constructed of pine, and is simple, but elegant. A family member has been sitting up all night, at the side of one who passed on, just in case any life remains.

"The wake service today stems from this sitting up with the dead," Dave Schutte explains.

The service is simple and solemn. There is no music, only eulogizing, prayers, and soft weeping under black veils.

"In the midst of life, we are in death..." the preacher begins.

After the service, the coffin is carried out of the house so the feet of the deceased leave the home first. If the body were carried out head first the spirit may choose to stay in the home, and anyone facing the spirit may be the next to die. A sad little boy leads the procession to the cemetery. He was hired for the occasion and his job is to express genuine sorrow while marching at the forefront of the somber procession. Each visitor leaves a calling card in the home.

At the cemetery, before the body is submerged a string is tied to a lifeless finger and the bell dangling from the other end remains above ground after the burial. If a mistake was made, the alleged dead can ring the bell from what was to be their final resting-place, and literally be 'saved by the bell'.

"That is where that saying came from," shares committee member Pat Butikofer

Once home, the widow is expected to mourn for at least a year, if not two. She wears heavy black crepe and the crisp white sheets from her bed have been replaced with black bedding. The children wear black crepe for six months. They will continue to wear black for three more months and then are allowed to dress in more neutral colors for the remainder of the 12-month mourning period.

When the widow is ready to reenter society and officially end her mourning, she distributes calling cards to friends and acquaintances, announcing her availability and return to normal life.

"Widowers were allowed back into society much sooner," says Story. Story and her sister, Bonnie Smola, volunteer their time and relish the facts they uncover during research of the subject. "The widow basically had to mourn until they were sure the body of her husband was completely decayed."

"Many of the traditions and the etiquette still observed today came from Queen Victoria," explains Story. "When she lost her husband, Albert, she mourned the rest of her life. She truly loved him that much and lost him early on."

People followed her example and, Story says, longer mourning periods evolved. From snapping photographs of the dead, to distributing black gloves to all attendees, diversity then, translates to many diverse and symbolic rituals today.

According to Dave Schutte, who bought his business from his grandfather, Louis Schutte, many of the original funeral directors, were furniture dealers.

"My grandfather owned a furniture store," he recalls. "In the late '20s, he built special rooms to serve as funeral parlors. It was believed the furniture man could close up to help the family, where the hardware man or gas station guy could not close their businesses for even a day."

Many funeral directors then purchased big homes to accommodate families, or added on the existing homes.

The Schuttes will share information and stories about the history of embalming, origins of words like 'funeral parlor' and 'undertaker', and Dave Schutte will share his first hand experience with the Fred Larrabee funeral at Montauk in 1959. There will be time for questions before and after the tour. The Schuttes will also display some artifacts in the mansion during the tour. A gentleman's funeral garb displayed on a mannequin, an old time casket and a wicker body carrier are among some of the items available for viewing.

"Parents are encouraged to bring their children for a great educational experience," says West.

"We really hope people will take the opportunity to come and explore what a rare gem they have here in Clermont," Story added.

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From the same source Sept 23, 2003

Staff and volunteers from Montauk met with Dave and Karen Schutte of Schutte Funeral & Cremation Service, Clermont and Postville, to plan a program featuring Victorian funeral etiquette and customs.

The special program will be held three times Sunday, Oct. 12, at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Special adornments will grace the mansion as would have been done during a Victorian-era funeral. The Schuttes will also present a short program describing the reasons for Victorian funeral customs and the changes that have occurred in funeral etiquette.

Those present for the planning meeting included Karen and Dave Schutte, Postville; Nadine West, Donna Butikofer and Mary Torkelson, Elgin: Bonnie Smola, Monona; Donna Story, Hawkeye; Arline Davisson and Pat Butikofer, Clermont.

For additional information, call Nadine West at Montauk at (563) 423-7173 or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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