There’s no getting around it. Funerals — most funerals, anyway — can be very sad affairs.

But there’s worse. Virtually everyone makes a mark in life, and there are funerals where you would never know what impact the deceased had before slipping this mortal coil. And virtually everyone has attended a funeral where even the celebrant has no idea who this person was or how they made a difference to friends, family and the world. There’s just a boilerplate sermon. Wham, bam.

Kyle Tevlin wants to change all that — and it starts with you, well before you carry your intentions to the grave.

Tevlin, who resides in Chester County, is the founder of iwantafunfuneral.com, and her aim is to bring a bit of life to your death.

“I started the website in 2013,” Tevlin said. “At the time, I was looking for a new business idea. I was only working part time. Coincidentally, I went to two funerals in a six-month period that were so disappointing because they didn’t have the life of the person in there. There was no sign of the fun person they were. I just kept thinking, what a waste. We’re supposed to be celebrating this person, and it was just boring and completely forgettable. I thought: We’re wasting an opportunity here. So, that was my idea. We should be having much, much better funerals.”

Tevlin, who now makes a full-time living as a graphic designer, has attracted some attention with her creative approach to funerals. She has delivered a TEDx address, “From Dread to a Little Delight at the End of Life.” There was an appearance on NBC’s “Sunday Today.” And she has conducted several workshops. And for those who want to approach their funeral in a different way, there is a PDF detailing how to go about it: “Planning Your Own Goodbye Party — 10 First Steps to a Fun Funeral.”

So, what qualifies as “fun?”

Tevlin recalls the funeral of a woman of Polish descent who directed that a pierogi truck be included at her life celebration. In another case, a man who knew he was dying of cancer specified that after he was gone, the life celebration should be one, big neighborhood block party in his memory. A post-death disc golf tournament in honor of a high school student who had died in a traffic accident was one other alternative to a traditional funeral. A friend of Tevlin’s — a self-described “cat lady” — has specified that after her death, friends should visit a local cat shelter and play with the kitties. And, of course, New Orleans funerals are well known, featuring a brass band procession and raucous post-burial parade.

(One memorable author memory: a bagpipe band member’s funeral in which, after playing “Amazing Grace” in memory of the fellow piper, band members circled the open grave and tossed back shots of Irish whiskey in their friend’s honor.)

If this all sounds a bit bizarre, Tevlin understands. She gets that not everyone wants to go to such extremes. She is, however, making a point: Regardless of how you choose to celebrate your life, you should plan. Don’t leave it to your family and friends.

A funeral “doesn’t necessarily have to be ‘fun,’” she explains. “The most important thing is just whatever that person meant. It just has to be whatever that person was into. Whatever was important to that person should be somehow present.”

Tevlin’s overall plan is divided into three categories: body disposition, service wishes and legacy plans or ideas.

Of all those elements, Tevlin believes the choice of music at the service is the most important element — and that might trigger other creative thoughts.

“Even if it’s at a funeral home, you can play whatever music you like,” she suggests. “It’s a good way to start thinking about what creative thing you want to plan for yourself. That gets your wheels turning about what else you could do, but music is an easy way to start.

“I feel like the whole problem is our whole culture around death. It’s bad — like they shouldn’t have died. It’s so deeply ingrained. It is sad. I’m not saying it’s not sad. But we grow up knowing that anyone can die at any instant. And yet we keep insisting that if you didn’t make it to 80, you got shortchanged,” she continued. “How can we have something creative and celebratory if we’re still thinking of it as something tragic instead of inevitable? So, why don’t we add something that feels better into the mix? You can have a funeral that feels like you really honored the person — and that’s what it comes down to. It’s like a going-away party.”

To learn more, visit iwantafunfuneral.com.