Designing Your Funeral

There are two facets of the design process. First, we ask you to consider how you wish to honor and celebrate the life. When those important decisions are made, we’ll turn to the issue of how you wish to care for the physical remains.

• 

  How to Honor a Life

  It’s about bringing those you love together, at a time of loss. It’s a natural thing to do, and over time, has become a socially-expected practice. More importantly, a funeral or memorial service, whether traditional, or contemporary, is the first step in healing.

  You can have your service anywhere, and any way, you want. Your choices include the place of celebration, day of the week, and time of day; the musical selection, what prayers will be said or songs you’d like sung. We can arrange to have doves, butterflies, or balloons released at the close of the service. Keepsake gifts of wildflower seeds or a tree seedling can be given. We’re here to help you create the most memorable and meaningful service to honor your loved one.

• With an Eye to Your Future

  We can help you come to the decisions that will meet your needs now, and in the future. After all, you will need to live with these decisions for a long time. Doing the right thing now can make all the difference in your peace-of-mind through the coming years. Contact us today to discuss your intentions.

• 

  Burial or Cremation?

  Your next consideration focuses on choosing between burial and cremation. Usually, people are clear on this point. In fact, your loved one may have told you, or someone else, exactly how they wish to be cared for. But it can be a hard decision for some families, especially when the wishes of the deceased were never clearly stated. If that's the case, please know we're able to help you come to the perfect decision for your loved one, and for you.

  Once you decide, the finer details come into focus. If you've chosen burial, then selection of the casket, vault, and desired cemetery follows. Naturally, we’re here to help you.

  If cremation is your choice, then you'll need to make the next decision: whether the cremated remains will be placed in a mausoleum niche, or buried on the cemetery grounds.

  In some communities, there's the option for a 'green burial.' If that's what your loved one would prefer, we'll help you select an environmentally-friendly choice.

• The Elements of A Funeral With Burial Or Cremation

  Visitation - sometimes called the wake, calling hours, or viewing, the visitation is a time for family and friends to gather and support one another in their grief. Often the body is present in an open or closed casket, allowing those who loved the deceased to acknowledge the reality of the death and to have the privilege of saying goodbye. Receiving friends through a visitation activates the family's support system and allows people to express their concern and love for each other.

  Eulogy - also called the remembrance or homily, the eulogy acknowledges the unique life of the deceased and affirms the significance of that life for all who shared in it. The eulogy can be delivered by clergy, a family member or friend of the deceased. Instead of a traditional eulogy by one person, the family may ask several people to share memories.

  Procession - also called the cortege, this is the procession from the funeral to the gravesite. It is usually led by the hearse containing the casket. The procession is a symbol of mutual support and of the public honoring the death as mourners proceed to the final resting place.

  Committal Service - whether the body will be buried in a casket or the cremated remains will be interred in an urn or scattered, the gravesite ceremony is the final opportunity to say goodbye. Accompanying a body to its final resting place and saying a few last words brings a necessary feeling of closure to the funeral process. Families are often deeply touched by this ceremony, and its memory resonates for years.

  Gathering - This informal time allows family and friends to tell stories about the loved one, to cry, to laugh, to support one another. It demonstrates the continuity of life, even in the face of death.

• What's Next?

  Now that we've given you the basics, it's time to reflect more on exactly what is appropriate for you and your family. If possible, gather everyone together to speak of their feelings and desires.

  Still looking for inspiration? Speaking with a professional funeral planner will help to clarify your thinking. Reach us at (806) 698-8085.