Traditional Funeral Service
The options listed below are some of the many types of services available at Dorsey Funeral Home.- Traditional Funeral Ceremony with a prayer service, visitation, and funeral followed by burial or entombment.
- Funeral service with burial or entombment following the service.
- Funeral service with cremation following the service.
- Graveside services
Dorsey Funeral Home offers funerals ranging from the very simple to the elaborate in order to meet the needs of each individual family. With so many options from which to choose, you would benefit greatly by visiting the staff at Dorsey funeral home. This would allow us to help you determine what best meets your needs.
How to Plan a Memorial Service
Among the many issues at hand when a loved one dies there are two important ones to decide: planning for the timely disposition of the body and commemorating the life that was lived.A "funeral" service is with the body present and is usually planned within a few days of death. A "memorial" service (without the body) can be delayed as long as you want, to meet the convenience or needs of the family. A memorial mass is now accepted by the Catholic church.
Multiple services may be appropriate in some situations--a simple graveside service for the immediate family at the cemetery "back home," followed by a memorial service in the community where the deceased more recently lived. Or one service for co-workers and another for community and friends.
Dorsey funeral directors will be glad to assist with memorial service planning whether using the funeral home location or not, but there will be a charge for such services.
A Memorial Notice
With a mobile and dispersed society, friends and relatives are likely to be scattered far and wide. They may never see the obituary in a local paper and may not be able to attend the memorial or funeral service. Using her mother's Christmas card list, Beth sent out a notice of her mother's death. Written as a tribute to her mother, Beth listed some of her mother's remarkable traits and accomplishments. It ended with suggestions for memorial donations, to causes that her mother supported—peace, the arts, and education. This sort of card can be easily put together on a home computer or copied at a local copy shop, including a picture if one is wanted. A wide choice of nice paper in many colors is available.Photographs, Memory Books, and Memorial Videos
Shelby found that the pictures displayed at her sister-in-law's memorial really broke the ice for tearful family and friends as they reminisced over the hilarious old fashions. You might want to ask friends and relatives to contribute photos, clippings, awards, or other special mementos that can be assembled in a memory book for the surviving spouse or family. You can utilize the latest technology to preserve your loved one life story on DVD.For more information, please contact Dorsey funeral directors.
Flowers
Barbara's family had potted chrysanthemums decorating the church. The pots were offered to special friends and relatives to take with them after the service, to remember Barbara-the-gardener in years to come. This thoughtfulness shows that this family had thought through the question, "What will happen to the flowers after the service?"The Setting
In planning a memorial service, you will probably want to decide whether a formal service reflects the personality of the deceased more than an informal one. Warren had church affiliations, so it was logical that his memorial service was held at his church. John had not maintained his church affiliations, so his wife chose to use a funeral home for a Masonic rite back in the home state where his ashes will be scattered or buried. Paul's father spent the last four years of his life in a retirement community. Because it would have been difficult for many of his friends to travel, Paul held a memorial service in the activities room there. Anne's love of art and music made the local art museum the perfect location for her friends to enjoy a concert in her memory. Mary Jane was a country-living soul. A hillside gathering amidst the wildflowers was a perfect setting in which to sit around in jeans and share memories.Who Will Come?
You should decide if there will be a public announcement in the newspaper, whether a written mailing to certain friends and associates seems better, or whether phone calls and the local "grapevine" will be sufficient notice.Who Will Lead the Service?
Obviously, clergy are likely to be involved with any service in a church, temple, synagogue, or mosque - the program determined by religious practice and protocol. You can certainly ask clergy to participate in a service held elsewhere, too. But even religious services are being adapted to allow participation from attendees, with people invited to share their memories and thoughts after the initial service, making the occasion more memorable.