Helpful Resources

A funeral or memorial service allows the living to show respect for the deceased and honor their life. It provides a space to openly express our beliefs, emotions, and thoughts about our loved one's passing. It grants us permission to grieve our loss, share in unity, and gain support from others experiencing the same loss.

If you have plans at another funeral home and wish to transfer them here, we will gladly assist you. If you relocate and want to transfer your arrangements to a different funeral home, we will help you with that as well.

Yes, whether you choose cremation or burial, it is merely the method of handling the body. Funeral services are designed to honor and remember your loved one, regardless of disposition.

The four primary types of funeral services include traditional funeral service, memorial service, committal service, and affirmation or celebration of life service.

• Advance Directives: If the deceased left any written instructions regarding the disposition of their remains and memorialization, bring them with you. These instructions may be found in a will, a formally witnessed disposition directive, funeral pre-arrangements, or a pre-need contract.
• Military Discharge Papers
• Details on any cemetery property owned by the deceased or the family (grave plot, columbarium space, etc.)
• Recent photograph of the deceased and any personal items to be included in the viewing or burial
• Specific information on the deceased:
• Full legal name
• Address
• Marital status
• Social Security number
• Date of birth
• Place of birth (city and state)
• Educational history (number of years of schooling)
• Armed Forces service dates and serial number
• Occupation or profession
• Parent's names, including mother's maiden name
• Next of kin and other survivors

The funeral director's job is to assist the bereaved in various ways to help them through the loss of a loved one. A funeral director provides bereavement and consolation services for the living, in addition to making arrangements for the cremation, burial, and memorial services for the deceased. He fulfills the role of funeral arranger, funeral director, funeral attendant, and embalmer.

The following list is not all-inclusive, but describes some of the major tasks of a funeral director:

• Removal and transfer of the deceased from the place of death to the funeral home
• Professional care of the deceased, including embalming, casketing, and cosmetology
• Consulting with family to make arrangements for the funeral service
• Filing certificates, permits, and other required forms
• Obtaining copies of the death certificate
• Arrangements with the cemetery, crematory, or other places of final disposition
• Creates and publishes the obituary
• Arrangements for clergy, music, flowers, transportation, pallbearers, and special fraternal or military services
• Directs and manages the funeral service and the funeral procession
• Assists the family with death-related claims, including Social Security, VA insurance, grief counseling

Pre-arranging funeral services can be done regardless of the final disposition method. Pre-arranging involves recording your wishes with the funeral home and prefunding if you decide to do so.

A traditional funeral involves numerous services that contribute to the overall cost. In addition to a non-declinable basic services fee, other charges may include removal/transfer of the body to the funeral home; embalming; other preparation of the body; use of facilities and staff for viewing; use of facilities and staff for the funeral ceremony; use of a hearse, service car, or van; a basic memorial printed package; metal casket, a vault or grave liner, and the purchase of a cemetery plot.