14-04-2025
Why not attend your own funeral?
One Saturday morning in August of 2021, more than 200 people assembled in an Arlington church for the funeral of Richard Hanneman, a onetime Capitol Hill staffer and longtime trade association executive who died of lung cancer at the age of 78.
Four of Hanneman's seven children spoke at the service. So did two of his grandchildren and his best friend. Some of them told stories of blood drives and lobster bakes he'd organized. Others described his deep religious faith. A few choked back tears. Karen Hanneman, his wife of 54 years, sat in the front pew. Congregants sang a hymn at the beginning of the ceremony and the 'Hallelujah' chorus from George Frideric Handel's 'Messiah' toward the end. The service concluded with two of Hanneman's friends playing taps.
