Category Archives: funeral homes

Making Your Loved One’s Obituary a Meaningful Tribute

Some obituaries are very simple and straightforward. They may only mention the most basic information about the person who has passed away. There is nothing wrong with this style of an obituary, but many people want to write their loved one a tribute that is more personal and memorable. Your funeral home near Adelphi, MD can give you advice on some of the things you can include, and they can help you with publishing it as well.

You might typically think of an obituary as a way of informing the community of a person’s death, as well as a way to communicate the details of their services. This is a primary function of an obituary, and thus at least these basic details should be included. Their name, dates of birth and death, and any surviving family members (or those who preceded them in death) may be mentioned. Additionally, if their funeral services will be open to the public, you can mention details of when and where the funeral and burial will take place. That way, if there are any people in the community who want to attend, they will know how to do so.

While this is one of the main purposes of writing and publishing an obituary, it can serve many other functions as well. For instance, a published obituary remains a part of the public record for generations to come. It can provide future generations with information about their family’s past. It can also be a meaningful tribute to that person’s memory, which can be shared with many different people all at the same time.

With this in mind, you can begin to imagine what other things might be included in a person’s obituary. Take some time to think about their passions, hobbies, and how they chose to spend their time. Did they love gardening, or were they talented cooks? Perhaps they traveled across the world, or maybe they were an accomplished athlete. Maybe they simply dedicated their time to their family. Many people spend a lot of time contributing to their community, either by volunteering, coaching, teaching, or participating in a social club. These are all important things that you can mention. If they spent a portion of their life serving our country in the military, you will likely want to include details about that, as well. Whatever made them into the person they were, is worth including.

These are a few ideas to get you started on writing a personal and meaningful obituary for your loved one. While it can be a difficult and emotional process, it can also be cathartic in some ways. You will never regret putting together a written memorial to your loved one, which will stand the test of time. Future generations can learn more about their family’s past thanks to what you write. If you need assistance in finding out how and where to publish the obituary, simply ask your funeral home near Adelphi, MD. They can connect you with the right resources to get it all taken care of. Then, you can find peace in knowing that you have paid tribute to your loved one’s memory in this way.

How to Have the Talk of a Lifetime

Not everyone has heard of the “Talk of a Lifetime”. While the official name might be a newer concept, the idea behind it goes back most of history. Essentially, it’s a conversation that you have with a loved one to learn more about their history and past. It allows you to get to know them more while being able to better preserve their memory in the years to come. Your funeral home near College Park, MD can provide you with resources to help initiate these important conversations. Here are a few ideas that can help inspire you, as well as reasons why it’s so vital to have these talks.

It might seem difficult to imagine initiating such an important conversation with someone, even if it’s a person you see and talk to every day. It can be hard to acknowledge the fact that someday they will be gone, with only their loved ones to keep their memory alive. The Talk of a Lifetime doesn’t have to occur only when a person is near death. You can have these conversations at any point in life, and you can even have them more than once with the same person. The goal behind having this talk is to learn more about them, and what experiences in their life made them who they are. You can find out their passions, their childhood memories, and how and why they chose to lead the life they did. It’s common to learn a lot about a person who you thought you knew intimately when having the Talk of a Lifetime. In addition to giving you and your family the joy of learning more about your loved one, it can also give them a cathartic experience of reliving memories from their past.

You might be wondering: what is the best way to start this conversation? There is no right or wrong answer to this question. You will have to look at your relationship with that person when deciding how to go about it. If you’re close enough to simply bring it up point-blank, there is nothing wrong with that. You might want to frame it as research, to preserve the family history (which it is!). You can ask them if they would mind being recorded, or you could bring a pen and paper to jot down the main takeaways. This is an excellent way to preserve and pass on family history to future generations. It can also give a person a sense of peace, knowing that their story has been told and recorded for posterity.

While Talk of a Lifetime is not necessarily a new concept, the idea behind it is powerful. Taking the time to learn more about a loved one before they are gone is an invaluable task. Your funeral home near College Park, MD, can help you learn ways to initiate these important conversations, and they can even give suggestions on how to best record and preserve the things that you learn along the way. Then, you and your loved one can live in peace knowing that their story has been told and will continue to be remembered for generations to come.

Why You Should Plan Ahead

There comes a time in most people’s lives when they begin to think about what will happen after they are gone. If you have a large family, it makes sense to do some pre-arranging so that conflict and disagreement can be avoided in the future. You can also extend this planning to accommodate your wishes at a funeral home near Adelphi, MD. Most of all funeral homes offer the option to set up pre-arrangements, giving people peace of mind.

You may not have given much thought to what you want your own final arrangements to be like. If you begin to think about it, however, you might find that you have some fairly strong opinions on how things should go. You might want to choose your method of disposition, whether it be cremation or burial. If you would prefer for your services to be in the form of a celebration of life, rather than a traditional funeral or memorial, this can be put into writing. When you make a plan ahead of time, you are ensuring that your wishes will be known after you’re gone.

Planning a funeral for a loved one is never easy. It can be difficult to make quick and significant decisions during a time of loss. One thing you can do to relieve your loved ones of this heavy burden is to plan ahead. If you make pre-arrangements for your own final services and let your wishes be known, this will save them the headache and heartache of having to do it themselves. It can help your family avoid strife and disagreement during a time when they need to be supporting each other as much as possible.

You may not have known this, but it is also possible to prepay for your own final arrangements. Whether you have the funds to pay ahead all at once, or you prefer to set up a payment plan, you can start putting money towards your funeral and disposition at any time. This has multiple benefits. First of all, it allows you to lock in the current rates for services, which will inevitably rise over time with inflation. Additionally, it can help remove the financial burden from your family’s shoulders. Paying for a funeral is typically not cheap, and it can be difficult for many families who don’t have the budget to afford what they want.

There are many reasons to consider preplanning, and you won’t regret taking the time to do so. Your chosen funeral home near Adelphi, MD, is there to help you every step of the way. You can go online and fill out the forms from the comfort of your home, or you can meet in person to put your wishes into writing. Your plans will be kept by the funeral home until the time comes that they are needed. If for some reason a different funeral home will be used in the end, everything can be transferred to anywhere else in the country. You can take comfort in knowing that your wishes will be upheld and your family will be taken care of.

The Value of a Permanent Resting Place

Many people, at one point or another, have thought about what should be done with their bodies after they pass away. It’s not the most uplifting subject to think about, but it is something that must be considered at some point. If a family member passes away who has not made their wishes known, that decision will fall upon their immediate family. Your funeral home near College Park, MD, can help you and your loved ones come up with a plan. For many families, it’s important to have a final and permanent resting place where their loved one’s remains can reside. Here are some reasons why.

One of the biggest reasons to have a permanent resting place is so that family and friends can visit their loved one any time they wish. There will be a clear, marked grave or niche where the family can be close to their loved one again. Future generations will be able to visit their loved one’s graves, and they will be remembered long after their passing. Additionally, there are some risks that come with the alternatives to a permanent resting place. For instance, if you choose to place your loved one’s cremated remains in an urn and keep it in your home, there is a chance that over the years it may become broken, misplaced, or lost. With burial or interment, there is no risk of these issues occurring.

Another major reason that people need a permanent resting place is because of their religious beliefs. As an example, in the Catholic Church, most people are traditionally buried. However, even if they have chosen to be cremated, their cremated remains must be interred in a columbarium, or buried. This permanent resting place is required and blessed according to their beliefs.

Many people also wish to be buried next to their spouses, parents, or loved ones. There may be cultural reasons for having a permanent resting place, as well. Ultimately, it’s a secure place for family and friends to visit their loved ones and remember their life. They can lay flowers and decorations to honor and celebrate their memory.

Some of the alternatives to a permanent resting place include the scattering of ashes, and as mentioned before, the storage of ashes in an urn in the home. For the families who choose to do these things, there is a meaningful reason behind their decisions. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to what to do with our loved one’s remains. You will need to consider what your loved one wanted, and what will work best for you and your family.

Whatever you choose for yourself or your loved one, you will need help with making arrangements. Your funeral home near College Park, MD, is there to take you through the entire process as painlessly as possible. Making plans and decisions while dealing with grief and loss is never easy, so take any help that is offered to you. Then, you can take comfort in the fact that your loved one can rest in peace wherever they have chosen to be.

The Importance of a Final Goodbye

When a loved one passes away, it’s important that you take the time to process your own emotions, as well as be there to support those in your family who have also suffered the loss. A funeral is just one part of this, and there are many reasons why having a viewing and funeral can be important or necessary when it comes to the grieving process. Your funeral home near Adelphi, MD, can help you put together a meaningful service for your loved one. This can provide closure that nothing else can.

Many people who plan a funeral for their loved ones will be faced with the choice of having a viewing beforehand. This requires embalming services and the purchase of a casket. A viewing typically takes place the day before the funeral service, but in some cases, it may be held earlier on the same day. At a viewing, family, friends, and members of the community can come through and see the person they lost, one last time. This is a major part of accepting your loss, and it can be difficult to move forward without it. Each person who chooses to pay their respects will also be grateful for the chance to say a final goodbye. While facing the reality of that person’s death is not easy, it’s a necessary step in the process.

In addition to having the chance to say goodbye, a viewing also provides the opportunity for people to reminisce about the person they lost. Sharing funny, sweet, or meaningful stories of the departed can bring family and friends closer during a difficult time. It can also make it a little easier, lightening the mood with special memories. You may learn things you never knew about the person you lost. You can also allow yourself to begin to accept the reality of what has happened while acknowledging the significance of the past so that your life can slowly move forward.

Perhaps your loved one chose not to have a traditional funeral service. Maybe they wanted cremation services for themselves, rather than burial. For the immediate family, it’s still important to be able to say that final goodbye to their bodily remains. Even if you’re going with direct cremation, you can often still have the option of having a private final goodbye. For an hour or two, before cremation takes place, you and a small group of the family can spend a little more time with your loved one. Similar to viewing, this can be an important way to realize and accept your loss, allowing you to eventually heal and move forward with your life.

While not everyone chooses to have a viewing or final goodbye with their loved one, most people do. This is because it provides a significant step of acceptance in the grieving process. If you’re in need of help with planning a viewing, funeral, or cremation, contact your funeral home near Adelphi, MD, today. They can help you throughout the entire process, from beginning to end.

What to Expect with a Veteran’s Funeral

There are many people who choose to dedicate a part of their lives to serving our country. No matter which branch they serve in, we are grateful to them for their sacrifices. If you have a veteran family member that passes away, there are certain benefits that are offered for their funeral and burial. You can ask your funeral home near College Park, MD, about what kind of services are available for veterans’ funerals and how arrangements might be made. Here are some of the options you might have.

Many veterans are buried in national or state veterans’ cemeteries. These are located across the country, and provide a final resting place for many people who have helped to serve our country. Veterans who qualify can receive a free burial plot and burial at a national veterans cemetery. Their final resting place will be marked with a plaque or headstone displaying their name, dates of birth and death, and time served in the military, as well as which branch they served in. Other optional information can be added as well. Their graves will receive perpetual care, and their remains will reside in a place of great national and historical significance. The spouse and minor children of the veteran can also qualify to be buried with them in the national cemetery in the case that they pass away.

Some other veterans will wish to be buried in a private cemetery. This could be a place where their ancestors have been traditionally buried, which is very important in some families. Although they will not receive the free plot and burial that they would get at a national or state cemetery, there are still many benefits available, such as a burial allowance. This would be able to help pay for the funeral, burial, and transportation costs.

Qualifying veterans will also receive military honors at their funeral, whether they are buried in a national or private cemetery. This includes a flag-folding ceremony and the playing of “Taps”, with at least two members of the military present. At least one of these must be from the same branch as the person who is being buried. In some cases, a rifle guard may attend. Most veterans can also receive a free headstone or marker, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate. In addition to this, there are many survivor’s benefits that the immediate family of the deceased can receive if they qualify.

Most of these benefits must be applied for through the VA. You can speak to your funeral home to find out more information and to make arrangements. The VA should be able to walk you through all the steps necessary to receive these veterans’ benefits. They are a way to offer appreciation for the service that our military members provide to our country. Your funeral home near College Park, MD, can help you determine what benefits will apply and how to incorporate them into your loved one’s funeral and burial. Then you can take comfort in knowing that your loved one’s service will be remembered and honored.

Often Overlooked Tasks that Must Be Done After a Death

It can be difficult trying to navigate your emotions and life after a loved one passes away. There will be many things that you must do in the hours and days after their passing, and trying to keep it all straight is never easy. Your funeral home near Adelphi, MD, can help you with many of the logistics that will be necessary for the following days. However, there are some other items and tasks that should not be forgotten in the aftermath of a person’s passing, especially if that person lived alone.

One of the most important things to think about is your loved one’s pets. If they had any animals living in their home, they will need to be cared for as soon as possible. If your loved one lived alone, new permanent homes will need to be found for these animals. In the meantime, make sure that someone is available to provide food and water, let them out if necessary, and provide any other care. The animals may be suffering too at the loss of their owner and might need extra comfort and love.

Something else to address is their mail. Even after they’re gone, they will continue to receive important mail like statements and bills. These will eventually stop, but for a while, they will need to be collected and paid as usual. You don’t want to allow mail to build up in their mailbox, either. This can be a signal that there is no one living at or watching the house, which makes it a more likely candidate for theft or breaking and entering. You can either collect their mail at regular intervals, or you can have all their mail forwarded to your address instead, whichever is more convenient for you.

Sometime in the days following your loved one’s passing, their home will need to be cleaned of any perishable items. Their refrigerator should be cleaned out so that nothing is sitting in there rotting or going bad. Their trash should be removed from their home so that it doesn’t deteriorate and begin to smell. Any other items that could go bad or attract unwanted pests should be removed relatively soon after their passing. In addition to this, if they had any houseplants that they cared for, you may want to consider removing them from your home so that they can be taken care of.

These are just a few of the things that might be overlooked or forgotten in the midst of dealing with a person’s passing. If you don’t have the time or emotional energy to handle these things, consider asking another trusted family member or friend to help you out. Your funeral home near Adelphi, MD, can also be of some assistance, especially when it comes to obtaining important documents that you will need to tie up some of these loose ends. It may be difficult facing your loved one’s home and belongings, but it will become necessary in the days following their death, and you may even find a sense of closure in the process.

What is the Role of a Funeral Director?

Facing the task of planning a funeral for a loved one is intimidating and difficult. You’re just starting to deal with your loss and begin the process of grieving. To have to organize and make decisions amidst all this is not easy. Fortunately, when you are using the services of a funeral home near Adelphi, MD, the staff there will do everything they can to make the process less difficult and stressful. Here are some of the things that a funeral director can help you with.

Put simply, the role of the funeral director is to help you plan and carry out your loved one’s final arrangements. They will sit down with you and go over everything that needs to be decided beforehand. They will go over any kind of merchandise you need to select, and you can choose what type of services you need. If you’re fortunate, your loved one will have already made their wishes for their final arrangements known. In that case, you will have a lot fewer decisions to make, leading to a less stressful experience overall.

Beyond selecting the services you need, you will likely have some more specific or unique requests for your loved one’s funeral. For instance, you may want to choose a particular song to be played, a certain person to officiate, or specific flowers you wish to be displayed. The funeral director will make sure that any special requests are fulfilled, so that you don’t have to worry about it. Most funeral homes will also take photos supplied by the family and create a tribute video collage. If you or your family would like to make a special contribution to the service, like playing an instrument or reading a passage, the funeral director will seamlessly tie all of this into the funeral proceedings.

Something else that the funeral director will help to arrange is transportation. This includes the transportation of your loved one’s bodily remains to the funeral home or crematory. It also includes providing transportation of your loved one to the cemetery for burial, and they will typically provide a ride for the immediate family members to and from the cemetery as well. They will also be present before, during, and after all the services take place, to ensure that everything goes smoothly and according to plan. That way, you can focus on being with your family.

These are just some of the things that a funeral director does. They are there to help you, and they will make the whole process of planning a funeral a little bit easier. With their help, you won’t have to worry so much about making arrangements and planning, and you can focus more on processing your loss and being together with your loved ones. If you need to begin making arrangements, call your local funeral home near Adelphi, MD, and they will get started right away. Then, you can move forward with honoring your loved one’s memory, and you can begin the grieving process with fewer external sources of stress.

Learning More About Green Burial

As the effects of climate change on our planet become more obvious, people are looking for more eco-friendly alternatives in all aspects of life. It could be the car they drive, bringing their own bags to the grocery store, recycling, or even how they choose to be buried after they pass away. If you or a loved one would wish for a more eco-friendly burial, you can speak with your funeral home near College Park, MD, to find out more about your options there. Here are some ways that many people are making their final arrangements “greener”.

One of the biggest issues that traditional burial has when it comes to the environment is the harmful chemicals that it sometimes requires. For example, many people who are buried will undergo the embalming process, so that family and friends can say a final goodbye. This process of preservation uses some toxic substances, such as formaldehyde, that are able to enter the soil after burial. That’s why some families are choosing to skip the embalming process or use a more eco-friendly formula. While these don’t last as long, they may still allow immediate family members to have their final goodbye.

Another source of harmful chemicals is the caskets themselves. Many caskets are made from hardwood, which is a valuable material in itself, but they are also often treated with substances that prevent deterioration. These substances will keep the casket intact much longer underground, but they are also very toxic to the soil. By choosing an untreated and sustainably-harvested wooden casket, you can avoid putting these chemicals into the ground. Alternatively, you can opt for a biodegradable sustainable material like cotton, hemp, bamboo, or silk.

Beyond these things, there are even more ways to make a burial “greener”. These will not be options at every cemetery, but there are some that will be more accommodating. For instance, rather than having a headstone or traditional grave marker, some families choose to plant a tree or a special shrub as a natural grave marker for their loved ones. Perennial flowers and rocks are other options. This can be a beautiful, living memorial to them. Some places will not use a concrete vault for burial, which creates less of an impact on the earth and also avoids the high-energy use required to manufacture the vaults themselves. If the cemetery requires a vault to avoid the land sinking over time, find out if it can be placed in such a way that the casket can be exposed to the soil and able to naturally return to the earth.

These are some of the most common and feasible ways to have a “greener” burial. Many people have made the choice to take more responsibility for their personal impact on the planet, and having a more eco-friendly burial is just one way to reach that goal. Your funeral home near College Park, MD, can help you find ways to have a greener burial that will work with your circumstances. Then, you can take comfort in knowing that your or your loved one’s impact on the planet will be as beneficial as possible.

Why is it Wise to Preplan?

It may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re arranging your affairs, but preplanning your own final arrangements can be very beneficial to both you and your family. Many people write a will and make plans for what will happen to their possessions and assets, often many years before they pass. Why not do the same with your final arrangements? Whether you wish to be cremated or buried, your funeral home near College Park, MD, can get you started with preplanning, so that you know your wishes will be carried out.

One of the biggest advantages of preplanning your own final arrangements is that it puts you in control of what happens after you’re gone. Many people have strong preferences as to what their chosen method of disposition should be, as well as how they want their funeral or memorial services to go. You might want to be cremated and have your ashes scattered in a special place, or you may wish to be buried next to your spouse in a cemetery. Perhaps you want your memorial service to take place in the form of a “celebration of life”, or maybe you want your funeral to happen at your chosen place of worship. Each preference you have for your own final arrangements can be written down and preserved by your chosen funeral home, able to be transferred to anywhere in the country if need be. This will give you peace of mind, knowing that your wishes will be fulfilled in the event of your passing.

By ensuring that your own wishes are upheld, you are also relieving the burden of decisions from your family. It can be difficult to make those important and heavy decisions after a loved one has passed away, and in some cases, it can lead to disagreement between family members. By deciding ahead of time what should happen, they will no longer be responsible for making those choices, and can instead focus on being together and grieving their loss.

While it is not a requirement when preplanning, it’s always recommended to start a payment plan ahead of time. This allows you to begin putting aside funds for your final services, and it also ensures that you lock in the current rates for funeral services. These rates, as is the case with any other industry, will rise over time due to inflation. By locking in the current rates and setting money aside, you will significantly save yourself and your loved ones from extra financial stress.

These are all excellent reasons to take the time to preplan for your own final arrangements. You can call or visit the website of your local funeral home near College Park, MD, to get started. They will connect with you and take you through every necessary step. Then, you can live out your days with a sense of comfort and peace, knowing that your wishes will be carried out and that you’ll be saving your family from extra emotional and financial burdens.

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