This is something we’ve always done … have a family friend sit at the house of the deceased because an obit basically advertises that no one is home. My DIL said that her Midwest family from a small town doesn’t do this. Just curious … Is this regional? Cultural? Are we just weird? Don’t answer that.
Not regional- yes we did it in the south and in the northeast.
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Never heard of this practice before.
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Probably depends on how much awareness of thieves using funeral announcements to find unoccupied houses to steal from there is in the area.
We haven’t done it for any of the funerals we have been involved with. My folks lived in a CCRC, so not needed. My brother is often unreliable as to whether he’s even in town or which of his properties he’s sleeping in anyway. I’m unaware of folks in HI doing this, nor have I read of burglaries occurring in homes of loved ones and family members of the deceased during services.
I remember this for my older relatives in Akron, OH, specifically my grandfather. They hired an off-duty police officer to stay there. Back then, there were no house alarms.
I’ve never heard of this either.
For some funerals I have been to, the family has had someone stay at the house but I wouldn’t say it’s such a common thing that everyone does it here. I had never even heard of that practice until a friend’s husband died and another friend offered to stay at the house during the funeral. When my neighbors passed away (elderly couple), neither time did anyone stay at the house.
In regards to concern about theft, no I dont have someone physically in my home every time we the home owners are gone.
That was very common practice where I grew up in the South. We also did it for weddings. But it wouldn’t occur to me to do this now.
I’ve never heard of this either. It’s so interesting to learn about different practices.
Now that you mention it, I have heard of such a practice, but I had long forgotten about it. I can’t say I’ve heard of anyone doing it, though I also don’t typically ask.
I’ve never heard of this, or heard of anyone’s home being broken into during funerals. (Maybe a past practice when everyone in an area knew where everyone lived?)
I have heard of this for funerals and also bar/bat mitzvahs. Here they stopped announcing the upcoming bar/bat mitzvahs in the synagogue newsletters and instead announce afterwards because burglary was an issue! For the funerals, usually someone is setting up for the people coming to the house after the funeral, so usually someone is there anyway.
If I’ve ever heard of this is been ages. I can’t imagine asking someone to do that now. But what I might do is maybe alert the neighbors? Though if the person who dies lived alone anyway the house is going to be empty for more than that day - a thief could have many opportunities to strike.
I have heard of this, but I don’t remember anyone doing it.
I have heard of this and it’s something I would definitely consider. That said, right now we have a very bark-y dog who would be a major deterrent to a bad guy.
Now that I recall, about 25 years ago we were robbed. Someone down the street had an after-funeral event at their house, and there were cars lined up and down the block. Some bad guy saw all the cars, pulled up, and entered our house through the basement, where our nanny lived. Stole her jewelry. 
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When you are Jewish this isn’t really an issue because 1 or 2 friends is tasked with setting up things for the shiva.
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That’s what my post above was about. But it’s usually a lunch after the funeral and the Shiva starts (if not a fri night) in the evening.
Exactly. Because no one would expect an empty house for the funeral. Though we and most people I know consider shiva to start immediately after the funeral though I know technically not correct.
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