It's important
to recognize that funerals and memorial ceremonies are for the living
... for those who are affected by the loss of a loved one. It is
through the funeral process that a number of emotional needs are
met for those who grieve.
A funeral is
similar to other ceremonies in our lives. Like a graduation ceremony,
a wedding, a baptism, and a bar mitzvah, a funeral is a rite of
passage by which we recognize an important event that distinguishes
our lives.
The funeral
declares that a death has occurred. It celebrates the life that
has been lived, and offers family and friends the opportunity to
pay tribute to their loved one.
The gathering
of family and friends for a time of sharing and funeral service
helps to provide emotional support so needed at this time. This
will help those who grieve to face the reality of death and consequently,
to take the first step toward a healthy emotional adjustment.
The
funeral can and does take on many varied forms. Funerals can last
from minutes to months and are usually influenced by the lifestyle
and values of the bereaved family and friends.
"What
Options Are Available in Services and Disposition?"
A valuable aspect
of contemporary funerals is their individuality. Whether a ceremony
is elaborate or simple, funerals are often individualized to reflect
the life of the deceased and to hold special meaning for family
and other survivors. A service may reflect one's religious beliefs
as a reaffirmation of faith in a greater life beyond this world.
Some families choose to reflect upon the occupation or hobbies of
the deceased, and some choose to center the service around an ethnic
background or social affiliation.
In our society,
three basic forms of final disposition are practiced. The first
is earth burial, which continues to be the form of disposition chosen
most often.
Cremation is
also a choice. This is a process of preparing the body for final
disposition whereby the body is reduced by intense heat over several
hours to a few pounds of small fragments. These cremated remains
are usually placed in an urn, which may be buried, placed in a memorial
niche, or kept in some other location. Cremated remains may also
be scattered where permitted by law.
Finally, entombment
in a crypt is also a choice and is one of the oldest forms of disposition.
Today many cemeteries maintain crypts for entombment, which may
be in a mausoleum or in an outdoor garden.
"What
Does a Funeral Director Do?"
It has been
estimated that over 136 individual activities must take place in
order for one funeral to be conducted. The funeral director is actually
an organizational specialist.
Here is a condensed
list of some of the more visible activities of a typical funeral
director.
- Removal
and transferring the deceased from place of death to the Funeral
Home.
- Professional
care of the deceased, which may include sanitary washing, embalming
preparation, restorative art, dressing, hairdressing, casketing
and cosmetology.
- Conduct
a complete consultation with family members to gather necessary
information and to discuss specific arrangements for a funeral.
- File
all certificates, permits, affidavits, and authorizations, as
may be required.
- Acquire
a requested amount of certified copies of the death certificate
needed to settle the estate of the deceased.
- Compile
information and create an obituary for placement in the newspaper
and/or website of the family's choice.
- Make
arrangements with a family's choice of clergy person, church,
music, etc.
- The
providing of a register book, prayer cards, funeral folders, and
acknowledgements, as requested by a family.
- Offer
the assistance of notifying relatives and friends.
- Arrange
for clergy honorariums, music, flowers, death certificates, obituaries,
additional transportation, etc.
- Care
and arrangement of floral pieces and the post funeral distribution
as directed by a family.
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