Since the beginning of burials, man has often gone to the grave with company. These days, funeral directors grant most requests: a shotgun … a case of beer … a bottle of Jack Daniels … some favorite cigars … golf clubs, usually putters … a clarinet … a tool belt … homemade wine … Oreo cookies … hot peppers.

“Out here, everyone gets buried with their cell phone,’’ said Noelle Berman, a family counselor at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles. “Cell phones. Blackberrys. Wii Consoles.’’…

“One time, a guy asked if he could stay while his buddy’s casket was being closed,’’ said Bill Hagen, another funeral director from outside Philadelphia. “He’d written a check for a million dollars. He tucked it in his buddy’s suit jacket. He said his friend always wanted to die a millionaire.’’

The guy stayed by the casket until it was sealed, Hagen added, to make sure “that check would never be cashed.’’