Monthly Archives: August 2021

Cremation services Mentor, OH

What You Need to Know About Funeral Directors

Cremation services Mentor, OH, serve an important purpose, as do the funeral directors who help to arrange them. The US Congress passed a resolution on March 11, 2008, and designated March 11 as National Funeral Director and Recognition Day to acknowledge the contributions of funeral directors.

Many people outside the funeral industry are unaware of the ways the funeral directors commit themselves to serve the bereaved families beyond their call of duty. To honor their services, we have compiled some less-known facts about the dedication of the funeral directors.

Availability

Funeral directors walk you through every stage of the funeral service. Whether it’s 6 am or past midnight, they’re always up to help bereaved families arrange a perfect service for their lost loved ones.

Contrary to what many people think, funeral directors, ensure availability after the service and handle all the necessary tasks including paperwork and memorial products. Most funeral directors are well-trained to offer grief counseling sessions and hold holiday remembrance services and community events to provide comfort and solace to the grieving.

Carry Impeccable Inner Strength

Funeral directors are humans and have feelings but you won’t see a funeral director breaking down in front of the bereaved. They’re tasked to provide step-by-step guidance to the families and offer empathetic support as well to get through the toughest times of their lives.

During the whole funeral service, they witness the most emotional scenes but never get carried away as it can affect the execution of their duty.

Work Quickly and Efficiently

Arranging a funeral service entails making more than 75 decisions within the first 75 hours and a funeral director is trained to help you make the best choices.

It takes an expert level of training and exceptional planning skills to make sure everything goes according to the wishes of the clients within this short window of time. A director has a wide set of expertise to add value and meaning to the service for both the bereaved family and the attendees.

They Are Great Listeners

Funeral directors exhibit meticulous attention to detail to fulfill the last wishes and desires of the deceased’s family. They are careful listeners and focus on the smallest of details to bring a personal touch to the service.

Thinking outside the box to plan a truly memorable and meaningful service is the hallmark of funeral directors.

Resolve Family Disputes Over Funeral

Many a time, the bereaved family disagrees over how the final services should be handled – especially when the deceased’s last wishes are not known. It could delay the services and create unnecessary rifts amongst them.

A funeral director is well-trained to step in and help resolve such issues. He makes sure everyone’s opinions are heard and respected and finds a middle ground where the loved ones can work together to hold a truly personalized service.

Always on a Learning Spree

Funeral directors never stop learning and have to attend regular education classes to hone their skills and learn new approaches as well which is a must to keep their licenses active.

Even after completing degree programs and internships and having years of field experience, a funeral director takes out time from their busy schedule to learn advanced tips to better serve the community and prepare cremation services Mentor, OH.

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Most Common Funeral Flowers

The tradition of sending sympathy flowers to funeral homes Mentor, OH, is embedded in tradition. They play an important role in conveying your message of love and respect for the deceased and unconditional support for the loved ones.

Even today, the trend of sending flowers to the funeral home or directly to the grieving family is accepted – even encouraged. Each type of funeral flower reflects a particular meaning. If you’re planning to send flowers to a grieving friend or family member, here is the list of the most common sympathy flowers along with the meaning they carry for the bereaved.

Lilies

Also known as to-go funeral flowers, lilies are probably the most popular flowers found in funeral homes – and there’s a good reason for this. They convey a deep message for the bereaved and symbolize purity, innocence, and rebirth of the deceased.

Most people choose the Stargazer and the Oriental varieties of sympathy flowers which, in many faith denominations, reveal the innocence that is restored to a person’s soul after death.

Carnations

Because of their elegant displays in floral wreaths and standing sprays, carnations are also very commonly used funeral flowers. In general, carnations send a message of virtue, upright character, and innocence of the deceased.

Like other funeral flowers, they also come in many colors and each color symbolizes a specific meaning. The red carnation reflects your love and admiration for the lost loved one while the pink one represents remembrance.

Roses

Roses need no introduction. These lovely flowers are highly aromatic and represent unconditional love, affection, and respect for the departed soul.

Much like carnations, roses also come in a variety of colors each representing a bit different meaning. Red roses indicate deep love and acute grief while white roses show humility, reverence, and purity of the lost loved one.

Yellow roses are a symbol of a strong and eternal bond of friendship which makes them a perfect choice to send to a funeral of a lost friend. Pink roses exhibit grace and sweetness.

Tulips

Being the most colorful funeral flowers, Tulips are a symbol of hope and courage for the bereaved family. They brighten up your mood and bring positivity and optimism to your life to cope with the overwhelming grief of losing a loved one.

If you’re close to the bereaved family, sending Tulip directly to the family can be a great option to send uplift their morale. A unique, colorful arrangement of Tulip can brighten anyone’s day.

Want to go a step forward, then choose a specific color of Tulips. Choose White tulips to express forgiveness while Yellow tulips signify cheerfulness and positivity in life.

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Gladioli

Gladioli are the “tallest” funeral flowers that can grow as long as four feet. Also known as sword flowers, they represent the valor, courage, and bravery of the deceased.

If you want to signify the sincerity, honesty, and strong character of the lost loved one, send Gladioli flowers, irrespective of their color. Yours won’t be the only ones gracing funeral homes Mentor, OH.

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Tips for Writing a Perfect Eulogy

Eulogy has long been an important part of cremation services Willoughby Hills, OH. It is given to honor the memory of the lost loved one and highlight their personal life, contributions, and achievements.

Since a eulogy is supposed to be very emotional and personal for both the bereaved family and the attendees, it should be meaningful, captivating, and draw on the most memorable bits of the deceased.

Here are the tips you should keep in mind while crafting a eulogy:

Be Organized

Before you start writing, give some time to organize your thoughts in order. As a rule of thumb, arrange the memories, stories, or contributions in chronological order. It will also make it easier for the audience to follow. The eulogy should have a proper start, middle, and end.

Start with a brief biological sketch of the deceased that includes personal details, names of family members, etc. The first part should reflect the uniqueness of their personality, such as a great military or family man, loving wife, devoted social worker, an accomplished artist or writer, etc.

The middle part includes their contributions, achievements or distinctions, or other notable works. Share a couple of stories or memorable moments of the loved one you were a part of or other favorite memories you have of them.

Finally, end it on a high note by reiterating key points of their life that illuminate their greatness. Use a poem or sentence like “You will forever be deeply missed” to conclude.

Brevity is the Soul of Eulogy

The eulogy should be concise, poignant, to the point, and should avoid unnecessary details of the deceased’s life. Try to limit it to around 1000 words or something you can deliver in 3-5 minutes. The longer you speak, the more are the chances of the audience getting bored or you making mistakes.

Keep it Meaningful

While writing, focus on highlighting their strengths, major accomplishments, and volunteer work they have done. It should reflect the deceased’s attributes and unique qualities.

Instead of delving into the unnecessary personal details, listing dry facts, or exaggerating facts, provide the audience a meaningful insight into the deceased’s personality and major attributes so they could honor and cherish their memory.

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Be Authentic in Narrating Events

Write authentically from your heart about who the loved one was, what was their relationship with you, why you admire them, and what makes them a person worth remembering? Find positive things about them and avoid mentioning negative thoughts even if the deceased was a complicated person to understand.

Don’t shy from adding a taste of humor in the eulogy especially if the loved one was an amusing person. Avoid portraying the deceased as perfect and impeccable as it can create doubts in the minds of the audience. Write a eulogy as if the loved one will be sitting in the audience and hearing you.

They should get a real overview of the lost loved one to invoke feelings of appreciation, respect, and tribute during cremation services Willoughby Hills, OH.

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Top Mistakes to Avoid While Funeral Planning

Do you know that arranging a service at funeral homes Willoughby Hills, OH entails making at least a few decisions within the first 24 hours? At a time when you’re experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions, chances of making unscrupulous decisions are always high.

Around 2.4 million funerals occur in the US annually and our research shows that there’re a few planning mistakes that are too common cost the bereaved families thousands of dollars. The last thing you’d want is to make any of those mistakes at your own funeral.

Let’s read them up.

Not Having Clarity in Your Choices

This mistake arises due to either lack of knowledge about what a funeral service entails or lack of communication with loved ones. It culminates in you making choices that don’t reflect the deceased’s life or go well with every family member and can create rifts and divisions amongst them during the final services.

So, don’t rush while jotting down your ideas, and take your time to consider what’s important. It’s better to make them tangible in written documentation and let your family members know what you’re doing if you want them to be involved in the funeral.

Not Asking Enough Questions

When you’re planning a funeral, one of the most common mistakes is not getting enough information about the options you have regarding several funeral services. That bars you from being pragmatic and practical and choosing the most preferable options.

Some people end up buying funeral services that they don’t really want, or they forget to inquire about things that they really do desire. So, don’t shy from asking any questions that cross your mind and focus on attention to detail while preplanning. A professional funeral director walks you through the entire process.

Not Preplanning Your Final Service

Funeral planning can involve your own end-of-life service as well. “Why should I preplan my funeral? I am too young to think about death. Let’s do it some point in the future.” If these thoughts pop up in your mind, you might want to reconsider.

No one likes to talk about death during the prime of life – and it’s understandable. But if you don’t make your last wishes known to the family before passing away, they may not know how best to honor you.

So, take out some time, sit with a funeral director, take their guidance on various details regarding your final service, and complete your preplanning. If possible, start making payments for the services you want to include in your funeral.

funeral homes Willoughby Hills, OHNot Saving Money

Funerals need to be paid for and can add an extra burden on your finances if you weren’t expecting the expense, or if the deceased was the family’s breadwinner. Lately, the trend of prepaying for funeral services has gained popularity but still, not many people choose it.

However, it could be a good option to plan in advance, as this helps relieve mourners of any financial burden at a time when they’re already facing emotional turmoil. Anyone can start saving in advance or paying for the services they want to include in their funeral.

Life insurance can also be a viable option to cover your funeral expenses. If. as in most cases, the funeral was not prepaid, you can speak with funeral homes Willoughby Hills, OH, about options that suit your budget.