From Funerals to Celebrations
Funerals are ceremonies that mark a person's death. Funerals can be traced back to at least 300,000 years, with every culture having some form of ritual for the dead. Many of these rituals were religious in nature and vary greatly from area to area and from one religion to another.
In early America, home funerals were the practice everywhere, and each community had a group of women who came in to help with the "laying out of the dead". Visitation was held in the front parlor of the home where the community would gather to pay their respects and offer comfort to the family, followed with a procession to the church and cemetery. Many of these burials included some sort of marker designating the grave. In some cases these markers were a simple pile of stones or a mound of dirt.
Caring for the dead began to change dramatically during the Civil War. Soldiers were dying on the battlefield and their families wanted them sent home for burial. This is when the practice of embalming first began to take place. Embalming sanitized and preserved the bodies, delaying the decomposition process, thus enabling the shipping of bodies over a long distance. Thus, there became a need for people with specialized skills to care for the deceased as well as a need for a public place that allowed family and friends to gather so that they may be able to honor their deceased loved ones.
While funerals of the past focused on a person's death, the focus has now shifted to a Celebration of the deceased person's life, with more emphasis being placed on celebrating and honoring the individual by expressing their impact in the world through music, eulogies, readings, pictures and many other means. To understand the parts of a meaningful funeral, please click here.
A funeral honors the dead by giving loved ones the opportunity to gather and reflect on the life of a person with whom they spent time and created memories. And it helps family and friends acknowledge the death and prepare for their grief journey.
-
Honoring Life
Honoring a life means acknowledging the uniqueness of the person: their personality, life choices, and the path they walked in life.
-
Design A Healing Experience
How would you like to be remembered and celebrated?
We offer families a beautiful setting in which to come together to honor your loved one and celebrate their life.
Whether you choose burial or cremation, a formal funeral or a more relaxed one, the need for acknowledgement of the loss is important. Gathering with family and friends gives everyone the opportunity to share memories, express emotions, and find comforting support.
-
Burials
Burial- also known as interment is the ritual of burying a dead person in a grave in the ground, in a tomb or vault , or in the water. It is a traditional and preferred option for many families. Let us help you understand all the options.
-
Cremation
Cremation only refers to the manner in which you or your loved one has chosen for disposition. Contact us to discuss the wide variety of celebratory options open to you.
-
Veteran Services
Our heroes are deserving of special attention, and we will take care of all details in securing the benefits your veteran is entitled to receive.
