Making Arrangements

When planning a personalized funeral, discuss your wishes with your family. It is the only way you will be able to carry out each others' wishes when the time comes. You may of course think of several unique ways to bring the life of the person who has died into the funeral service. If so, please bring them to the funeral director's attention and they will make every effort to see to it that your wishes are met. Funeral directors can offer sensitive advice at this special time. And remember, by having a funeral and reflecting on a life that has been lived, you guarantee that everyone your loved one ever said hello to, will have a chance to say good bye.

• Write a letter to the person who has died and express all of the feelings you ever wanted to say, but were afraid to or just never got around to expressing. Seal the letter in an envelope and place it in the casket. Your written thoughts will go with your loved one to his or her final resting place.
• Bring in the favorite song or songs of the person who has died on compact disc and your Funeral Director will play it for you during the visitation and/or funeral service.
• Bring in photographs spanning the life of the person who has died and your Funeral Director will incorporate them into a memory board to be present at the visitation and funeral service.
• If your loved one had a hobby of building things or was involved in the arts, crafts or photography etc, bring some of their works in to be displayed at the funeral home.
• Eulogize the person who has died during the funeral or visitation. Oftentimes the clergy person did not know the person who has died and since the funeral is intended to recognize a life that has been lived, it is important to recognize that life in a personal way. Who better can do that than someone who knew the person who died on a personal basis.
• Place cherished items in the casket like pictures of the grandchildren and other family members, a photo of the family pet, etc. Your Funeral Director welcomes all of them as your way of saying good bye.
• In processing to the cemetery, if possible, consider a favorite place your loved one liked to go, like their favorite park, or the beach, or a favorite restaurant, or maybe they were happiest at home. Your Funeral Director will arrange to have the procession pass by this favorite place.