There are many ways to honor and memorialize dead family and friends. Any Wyomingite eyeing a Viking funeral can swing south into Colorado and get a fiery sendoff.
There's another ceremony that honors the departed in uniquely cowboy way that’s gaining popularity across the American West: casket branding.
Along with placing mementos inside and flowers on the outside of caskets, many ranching families are memorializing deceased loved ones by burning their brands onto the casket. That way, the brand they used in life will forever identify them in death.
“It's become a very special way to honor and celebrate somebody who spent their life working a ranch and branding cattle,” said Mark Leverington, owner and funeral director of Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills in Belle Fourche, South Dakota.
On Brand
Leverington said casket branding is a relatively recent funeral tradition, and his funeral home has been offering the service to ranching families for about 15 years.
“It's an idea that we generated and found very worthwhile,” he said. “We’re always trying to find ways to make our services more valuable and personal. We use finger paints so people can leave their handprints on caskets, or we might give them Sharpies to sign caskets.”
Brands are an iconic element of life in the American West. Leverington said incorporating a branding ceremony into a funeral service emotionally resonates with nearly every ranching and Western family he’s seen do it.
“Brands create ownership and pride,” he said. “Kids say, ‘That's my dad or grandpa, and his brand is on his casket.’ That creates value in what we're doing as we honor somebody and celebrate their life.”
A growing trend in Western funerals is for family and loved ones to put hot cattle brands to wooden caskets. It’s the most cowboy way for ranching families and others in the West to say goodbye. (Courtesy Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills) 
A growing trend in Western funerals is for family and loved ones to put hot cattle brands to wooden caskets. It’s the most cowboy way for ranching families and others in the West to say goodbye. (Courtesy Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills) 
A growing trend in Western funerals is for family and loved ones to put hot cattle brands to wooden caskets. It’s the most cowboy way for ranching families and others in the West to say goodbye. (Courtesy Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills) 
A growing trend in Western funerals is for family and loved ones to put hot cattle brands to wooden caskets. It’s the most cowboy way for ranching families and others in the West to say goodbye. (Courtesy Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills) 
A growing trend in Western funerals is for family and loved ones to put hot cattle brands to wooden caskets. It’s the most cowboy way for ranching families and others in the West to say goodbye. (Courtesy Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills) 
A growing trend in Western funerals is for family and loved ones to put hot cattle brands to wooden caskets. It’s the most cowboy way for ranching families and others in the West to say goodbye. (Courtesy Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills) 
Along with burning cattle brands into caskets, other unique ways to remember loved ones include placing colorful handprints on them. (Courtesy Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills) 
Along with burning cattle brands into caskets, other unique ways to remember loved ones include placing colorful handprints on them. (Courtesy Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills)
The Ceremony
There isn’t a wrong time for family and friends to brand a loved one’s casket, but Leverington traditionally plans branding ceremonies for the last night of visitation.
All that’s needed is a wooden casket “with a Western flair to it” and as many branding irons as are needed for the brands that will be burned into it.
“Sometimes there’s a multitude of branding irons,” he said. “The person who passed away has their branding iron. Their children might have their own irons to bring in and close friends will often bring their irons, too.”
At Leverington Funeral Home, a branding ceremony happens in a covered carport just outside the chapel. The casket is rolled outside and the irons are heated in preparation.
Family members and friends take turns putting branding irons to the wooden casket. Leverington said it becomes a touching tribute as everyone, from seasonal professionals to grandchild greenhorns, ensures they are doing their best work.
“We see the care that goes into it,” he said. “Sometimes the branding irons are not super flat, so getting a good brand is a bit more challenging because it doesn't lay flat against the wood.
“You'll see them dote on that brand, making sure all the Ts are crossed, the I’s are dotted, and everything's straight.”
For Leverington, seeing young children get involved is the most emotional moment. They grapple with the death of a grandparent while getting to make their mark on the casket.
“I've got a heart for kids,” he said. “When I see the kids taking part and branding grandpa's casket, I think it's very meaningful.”
When every brand is in place, the casket is rolled back into the chapel to await the burial service the next day.
A Creative Goodbye
Casket branding has caught on in the Western U.S. that Leverington said started as a uniquely symbolic idea that has become “automatic” for many ranch family funerals.
“If somebody owns a branding iron and they've branded cattle in their lifetime, it's a very appealing option for the service,” he said. “It personalizes the service. It makes the casket personal.”
Leverington is no stranger to the traditions of Western funerals. It’s common for cowboy boots, chaps and saddles to make their way into or onto caskets.
Casket branding has become an experience and, for many, a welcome addition to the grieving process. It invites everyone mourning a loss to participate in the important rituals of celebrating life, letting go and moving on.
“We can incorporate friends and family that want to be part of that process,” Leverington said. “We all gather outside, surround the casket and watch the branding. They always care about making each brand look its best.
“It’s a creative way to say goodbye to somebody, and that’s what we strive for.”
Contact Andrew Rossi at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
