When you've experienced a loss, you suddenly find yourself facing uncertainty and what may seem like an overwhelming number of decisions. Designing a service should be a journey of remembrance, healing, and love...not a source of stress. Find out how we can guide you through the process, answer your questions, and help you make important decisions to ease your burden and give you peace of mind.

Designing a Service

Whether it's formal or informal, traditional or offbeat, a funeral provides an opportunity for family and friends to gather and support one another in taking the first steps of their healing journey. A service can take place in any setting - at your home, outdoors, or at a chapel, for example - and can incorporate music, poetry, or art in the celebration of a life well-lived. There are endless possibilities for what the service can be, and we're honored to go above and beyond in our duty to meet your personalized and specific requests.

Our staff is experienced in understanding and graciously accommodating the needs of all beliefs, faiths, lifestyles, and relationships. We're here to answer your questions and guide you through the decisions you'll need to make, and will encourage you to take your time to figure out the most meaningful and fitting way to honor your loved one and incorporate the elements that you and your family find meaningful. Caring for a Loved One's Physical Remains

Once you've chosen how you'd like to celebrate your loved one's life journey, the next decision you'll face is about how you'd like to care for their physical remains. This can be a difficult or emotional choice for you and your family, and we'll provide you with the information you need as we help you to consider your options and make the decision that is right for your loved one and for your family. Once you've chosen between burial and cremation, there are a few additional decisions you'll face:

• For a burial, you'll need to select a casket and a cemetery, and choose between a ground burial and entombment in a mausoleum.
  
• For cremation, you'll need to select an urn and choose whether to bury, entomb, or scatter the remains, as well as where you'd like to do so.
  

No matter which path you decide to take, we'll be there to support you and assist you in exploring your options and making an informed decision that feels right for you and your loved one.

Pre-Planning, a gift for yourself and your loved ones.

It's easy.
You can take your time creating arrangements that best suit your needs and preferences, and all you have to do is fill out a form or meet with a member of our staff to put your plan in place. Anyone can create a plan, at any stage in their life, and you can make changes at a later date if you wish.

It lets you decide how you'd like to be remembered.
Creating your own unique life celebration allows you to make sure that your wishes and desires are respected upon your passing. However you decide to be memorialized, pre-planning and preparation gives you control over the personal decisions that must be made when a person moves on from this life. Planning can be meaningful for your family, as well, if you choose to include them in the process. It can help them to feel connected to you both in life and in death, knowing that your arrangements reflect exactly what you envisioned them to be.

It takes the burden off of your family and friends.
When a loved one passes, the family faces an overwhelming number of tasks and decisions, all while struggling through grief and a range of difficult emotions. By taking care of your arrangements before the time of need, you’re relieving them of that burden and giving them more time and energy to focus on healing and remembrance. They won’t have to ask themselves, “Am I making the right choices?” and can instead focus on what matters: saying goodbye and celebrating your life journey with those who cared about you most.

It gives you the ability to pre-pay, if you wish.
While pre-funding your funeral is certainly not required in order to pre-plan, pre-payment means that your funds will be set aside and protected against inflation and unforeseen increases in cost. Your family won’t have to worry about payment, and can enjoy peace of mind knowing that everything has been taken care of. We’d be happy to provide you with more information and help you arrange for pre-funding of your services.

What if I Move?
Once you create your pre-plan with us, we store it in our files as a record of your final wishes and decisions. Your plan is easily transferable to any funeral home in the United States, so it can be used wherever you might choose to relocate. No matter where you live at the time of your passing, or which funeral home’s services you decide to use, we’ll make sure that your plan follows you there.

Where Do I Start?
The first step is to review our Pre-Planning Checklist to help you consider all of your possibilities and gather all of the information you’ll need. Then, you can use our Pre-Planning Form to begin creating your personalized arrangements. You can also contact us to schedule a time to meet with a member of our staff to discuss your options and design your plan in person.

Losing someone you love or care deeply about is very painful. You may experience a variety of difficult emotions, and it’s sometimes hard to imagine that the anger and sadness you feel will ever fade. It’s important to remember that grief is a natural and normal reaction to a significant loss, and that you’re not alone. Reach out to your support network through family and friends, and don’t be afraid to lean on the people who care about you. While there is no right or wrong way to grieve, there are healthy ways to cope with the pain that, in time, can allow you to heal and resume your regular routines.

A few things to remember as you begin to recover from a loss:

• Each of us experiences grief differently, depending on our coping style and life experiences.
  
• The healing process happens gradually, and can’t be rushed or ignored.
  
• It’s okay to cry…but it’s also okay if you find that you can’t. Crying is a normal response to sadness, but it’s not the only one.
  
• There’s no set time frame for grieving, and different individuals may take different amounts of time to heal.
  
• Allow yourself to face your feelings and express them. Try talking to a trusted friend or spiritual leader, joining a support group, or writing about your loss in a journal.
  
• The mind and body are deeply connected. Though it may be hard at first, remember to take care of yourself physically so that you can allow yourself to begin to recover emotionally.
  
• It’s always okay to seek professional help when you need to.