When planning a funeral for a loved one it is easy to feel rushed and vulnerable when it is time to start making decisions. It is suggested that the planning not be done alone but with the consultation of family members or friends. When planning a funeral the first step is to find out if [...]
Filed under: Funeral Arrangements, Funeral Basics on February 6th, 2012 | No Comments »
As a funeral director, you can be of great benefit to your client’s needs by enhancing each aspect of your establishment’s facilities.
Filed under: Deathcare Careers, Funeral Basics on December 10th, 2010 | No Comments »
What purpose do funerals serve? You may have come across this question from time to time over the course of your deathcare career.
Filed under: Deathcare Careers, Funeral Basics on October 22nd, 2010 | No Comments »
A note from the person who was directly involved with helping the family make burial arrangements could have more meaning…
Filed under: Deathcare Careers, Funeral Basics on October 8th, 2010 | No Comments »
Unless you work for a funeral home, or unless you have an obsession about death and dying practices, you may wonder if there is a difference between a funeral director and a mortician or a mortician and an undertaker. For all intents and purposes today, there is no difference – especially if the funeral home is a small family operation. But, in larger funeral home operations, you might see a slight difference in what each job traditionally entails.
Filed under: Funeral Arrangements, Funeral Basics, Funeral Homes, History of Funerals on September 22nd, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Have you thought about how your body might be handled after you die? If so, you may have considered creating options for your burial now, even when young. But, the thought of walking into a funeral home to discuss those options might keep you from making those decisions.
Filed under: Alternatives, Cemeteries, Cremation, Death & Dying, Funeral Arrangements, Funeral Basics, Funeral Flowers, Funeral Songs, Plan Your Own, Traditions on September 3rd, 2009 | No Comments »
If you were asked to attend a Christian funeral, what can you expect? Without going into the history of Christianity, a few notes about Christian funerals can provide basics for those who are not Christians. Even if you are Christian, you may be a Catholic and the deceased may have been a Baptist. You may realize, in this latter case, that the Christian burial for the deceased may be a new experience for you.
Filed under: Cemeteries, Funeral Arrangements, Funeral Basics, Funeral Hymns, Funeral Prayers, Funeral Songs, Graveyard Etiquette on August 30th, 2009 | No Comments »
In Victorian times after photography was invented and before it became common for anyone to own a camera, a photograph of a corpse was a common occurrence. Even today, at some funeral homes, it isn’t uncommon for the family members to photograph Uncle Joe or Aunt Margaret as they lay in repose upon white silk. But, the practice is far less common now then it was in the early twentieth century, simply because it seems everyone today owns a camera.
Filed under: Funeral Arrangements, Funeral Basics, History of Funerals on August 23rd, 2009 | No Comments »
Veterans often become confused about burial in this nation’s national cemeteries, when funeral homes and the Veterans Administration (VA) want to offer a less expensive and respectable way to honor America’s military men and women. Funeral homes often are involved in the arrangements, as the VA does not get involved in making funeral arrangements or in performing cremations.
Filed under: Cemeteries, Funeral Arrangements, Funeral Basics on July 4th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Also known as “visitation,” “calling hours” and “waking the dead,” the funeral wake is a way to pay respect to the deceased. In the past, the wake was part social and partly practical, as – before funeral parlors and homes were created – the funeral often took place in the home of the deceased. Embalming often was not practiced, so someone needed to sit with the body to keep the bugs, flies, rats, dogs, cats and other curious and carnivorous animals – such as body snatchers – away from the corpse.
Filed under: Death & Dying, Death Practices, Funeral Arrangements, Funeral Basics, Grief and Grieving, Talking with Children, Traditions on May 31st, 2009 | 2 Comments »
