Celebrating a Life,
Marking a Milestone

We get that you only have one chance to plan a good funeral. As with any major life event, a ton of decisions have to be made. The cruel irony is it’s often done at a time of great stress, on the worst day of your life. That’s why you call us. We have devoted our lives to funeral service. It matters greatly to us that your loved one’s services reflect the person he or she was. A good funeral touches everyone with the spirit and memory of the deceased. It brings closure to the survivors who can begin adjusting to a new life without the deceased.

A good funeral is the result of good planning done at the arrangement conference. It starts with our staff helping the family create a vision of how they wish to celebrate the life of the deceased. Together we flush out the details to create an event that touches everyone with the memory and spirit of the deceased. We blend traditional funeral directing with contemporary event planning.

Funeral planning often occurs when families are grief-stricken. Attention spans are limited. With compassion, patience and gentle questioning, however, we guide our families in making the many required decisions. We do the legwork that relieves our families from the burden of worrying about the details.

Need cremation information? We have it. How about military honors? Yes, we can arrange for that. We do not charge extra to drive up to Great Lakes National Cemetery nor do we limit viewing to a maximum 4 hours. All the little things that add up to making an event memorable we do.

An early decision to make is the deceased’s final disposition: whether to keep the body intact or cremate it: a funeral burial or a funeral cremation.

There is no right or wrong choice. Both methods have advantages. A funeral burial in the family cemetery (or a crypt) is familiar and comforting to many people. A funeral cremation allows the family time to decide upon a final resting place, especially if the family members do not live in the same area.

Gatherings, also called visitations, ideally should be held soon, if not immediately, after death. Neighbors, friends and relatives are saddened also by the news. They will want to reach out to the grieving family. Having the deceased at his last party, the family can receive everyone comfortably. Our open-room design allows movement of large numbers of people very well. All ages from toddler to great-grandparents have a place to go. This begins the healing as the support of others is what the family needs most. A night before the funeral service, sometimes called the Vigil, oftentimes is used to hold remembrance services, aka, a Scripture Service and Memory Sharing period. This is the opportunity for people to get up and share stories of the deceased in a living-room atmosphere. We help you organize this.

Video Tributes, music selection, picture display. These are important elements of a good funeral. They bring the memory of the deceased alive. Everyone gets to know this person’s entire lifespan, what he looked like as a baby, a teen-ager, young married, all the way to the end of his life. Families can give one another great support when they are gathering the photographs. Memorabilia, such as framed pictures, albums, awards, special clothing, hobby collection, are also good things to bring to display in our glass curio cabinets.

Funeral services, regardless where they are held, provide a formal setting for words to be spoken, songs sung, music played, prayers recited as everyone says good-bye to the deceased. Accompanying the deceased to the cemetery for the committal service provides closure to many people.

Continuing Care

We do not leave you at the grave, but follow up periodically to see how you and your family are doing. Yearly we invite our families back for the Holiday Remembrance Service held the Monday before Thanksgiving. Our grief specialist, Laurie Orlando, is always available for support and guidance.