The Funeral Service

Funeral rites and rituals have developed over thousands of years. Every civilization celebrates funerals in one way or another. There is a good reason: people WILL experience grief over the death of a loved one, and a healthy grieving process can only begin by accepting that the death HAS OCCURRED. The best way toward acceptance is viewing the deceased individual and publicly celebrating the life of that person.

 

The Value of the Funeral

• Acknowledges that a life has been lived. 
• Allows people to remember and honor their loved one in a special way. 
• Serves as central gathering place for family and friends to give emotional and physical support to one another.
• Provides the final closure for the bereaved. 
• Initiates the grieving process. 
• Confirms the reality and finality of death. 
• Encourages mourners to face the pain of their loss and express their thoughts and feelings. 
• Helps survivors to better cope with their grief and enables them to move forward with their lives.

• Pre-need planning is a way to relieve your surviving spouse or 
  other family members from emotional and financial burden.
• Pre-need planning can assure an individual that the arrangements 
  will follow their personal wishes.
• Pre-need planning may involve paying for your funeral in advance. 
  Your Funeral Director will advise you on a payment plan that best 
  suits your needs.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL!

Unfortunately, just as advertisers target the senior citizens market, so do 
some sales organizations that use deceptive practices.

Some "too good to be true" offers are just that.

Licensed Funeral Directors advise consumers to be on guard against 
certain sales pitches. 

Cremation:

• Direct Cremation – remains cremated and returned. No services
• Direct Cremation with Memorial service scheduled at a later time.
• Private Family Viewing before Cremation, then remains cremated, followed by Graveside or Memorial service.
• Traditional VIEWING & FUNERAL followed by Cremation with a committal service.
• There are many more options, just ask.

WHY DO SOME PEOPLE CHOOSE CREMATION?

• Philosophical reasons - considered by some to be less harmful to the environment. 
•  Economic reasons - Cremation can be less expensive than traditional  earth burial.
•  Convenience - Some people feel they don't have the time, or desire, for the "funeral ritual".

Prepaid Trust Fund

Among the biggest reason consumers prearrange is the peace of mind that comes with knowing a spouse or child will not be left with the emotional burden of making difficult decisions at a stressful time. Prearrangement also ensures the consumer and family that his or her final wishes will be met. At the time of death, family members take comfort in knowing the funeral reflects what their loved one wanted.

Preneed plans are attractive because they re designed to earn interest at a rate higher than inflation thus leaving no expenses for the family and possibly leaving excess funds at the time of the funeral. The two most common methods of prepaying for a funeral are investing in a regulated trust or opening a life insurance policy.