What
does a Funeral Director Do?
What
is the significance of a funeral service?
How
much does a funeral cost?
Is
everything included in the price given to me by the funeral home?
Can
I make my funeral arrangements before I die?
How
many types of caskets exist, and why are some more expensive than
others?
What
is embalming and is it necessary before services are held?
Are
special cremation containers and caskets available?
Are
the services held before or after cremation?
What
happens to the cremated remains?
Must
a person deal with a memorial society to obtain a reasonably-priced funeral?
Can I have a
visitation period and a funeral service if cremation is chosen?
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 funeral home
- Profesional care of the deceased, which may include sanitary washing,
embalming preparation, restorative art, dressing, casketing and cosmetology
- Conduct a complete consultation with family members to gather necessary information and discuss
specific arrangements for a funeral
- File all certificates, permits, affidavits, and authorizations, as may be required
- Aquire a requested amount of certified copies of the death certificate needed to settle the estate of the deceased
- Compile an obituary and place in newspapers of a family's choice
- Make arrangements with a family's choice of clergy person, church, music, etc.
- Make arrangements with cemetery, crematory, or other place of disposition.
- 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 distrubtion as directed by a family.
- Arrange for pallbearers, automobiles, and special services(fraternal or military) as requested by a family
- Care and preservation of all floral cards, mass cards, or other memorial contributions presented to the funeral home.
- Your funeral director, with his/her staff personnel, will direct the funeral in a most professional manner, and be in complete charge
of the funeral procession to the cemetery or other place of disposition.
- Assist a family with social security, veterans insurance, and other death benefits
- A post funeral meeting, by the funeral director, with a family, to deliver such things as the register book, floral and mass cards, and to ascertain whether
or not he/she can be of further assistance.
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What
is the significance of a funeral service?
From the beginning
of recorded history, societies have honored those who died with
a traditional ceremony. According to beliefs at that time, the purpose
of the ritual was to send the deceased on his or her journey into
the afterlife.
Today, however,
many experts agree that the benefits of a service are for those
who are left behind after a death. A "closure" of sorts must occur
to help survivors adjust to their loss and recognize that a death
has occurred. A funeral service provides the opportunity for friends
and family to celebrate the life that was lived and allow the healing
process to begin.
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How
much does a funeral cost?
Funeral costs
vary depending on the funeral home and type of service selected.
There are two types of costs associated with a funeral: (1) services
provided by the funeral home and (2) merchandise such as a casket
or urn.
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Is
everything included in the price given to me by the funeral home?
All charges
involving the funeral home's services and merchandise are available
from our professional staff. We will provide a general price list
with all charges.
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Can
I make my funeral arrangements before I die?
Yes. Today,
prearrangement and prepayment of funerals are becoming more common.
Advance planning will provide you with more time to review your options
and give you a choice in your own funeral service. It will also
provide you with the peace of mind that everything has been
taken care of, relieving your family of the emotional and financial
decisions that often comes with making arrangements when a loved one
passes away. Oftentimes, making arrangements in advance also guarantees
a service and funeral at today's prices, free from inflation.
James L. Pedlar Funeral Home, we will assist you with your prearrangements.
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How
many types of caskets exist, and why are some more expensive than
others?
Caskets
are made of either metal (bronze, copper or steel) or wood. Prices
vary, depending on the exterior and interior materials used. Bronze,
a semi-precious metal, is more expensive than steel. Mahogany, a
rare hardwood, is more expensive than the readily available softwood
pine.
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What
is embalming and is it necessary before services are held?
Embalming
is the preservation of a deceased's remains. It is not
required by law, but is common practice when a viewing is planned.
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Are
special cremation containers and caskets available?
James L. Pedlar Funeral Home offers a wide variety of cremation caskets and alternative
containers for cremation, to meet each family's needs.
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Are
the services held before or after cremation?
Services
are held at the discretion of the family. Many choose to have a
traditional service first, followed by the cremation.
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What
happens to the cremated remains?
There are
many options to consider with a cremation. A family can choose to
bury the remains in a cemetery, store and display them at home in
an urn, or scatter them in a place special to the deceased. It is
advisable to check local restrictions on scattering remains on public
property and obtain permission for private property.
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Must
a person deal with a memorial society to obtain a reasonably-priced funeral?
No, Any funeral director will provide
a funeral to meet the wishes and circumstances of all. Most important, no family
or indivdual is required to pay a membership fee. Further, the family may select their
own funeral home, not that the memorial society has designated.
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Can I
have a visitation period and a funeral service if cremation is chosen?
Yes. Cremation does not preclude having a visitation
period and a funeral service
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