Funeral Services ·
What Should I Say? ·
Offering Thanks
Funerals are an emotional time for all involved.
Death effects all of us, it may be our own family member however, this person has friends, co-workers and other associates that also feel the loss.
The act of sending flowers to the funeral service is an appropriate and thoughtful way to express condolences for the loss and to show respect for life.
We have created a Funeral Section on our floral web
site which displays a collection of beautiful arrangements that are a thoughtful gift to send to the funeral home.
The Funeral Service
Funeral Directors help the family decide which type of service would be most appropriate by assessing their needs and situation. The service is generally held at a place of worship or at the funeral home.
Private Service Usually,
relatives and close friends attend the service which is by invitation only. This
type of service can be held at a family member's home, the funeral home or at a
place of worship. There can also be a public viewing afterwards.
Memorial Service
This is a
service without the body being present or, if the deceased has been cremated.
Some families have public visitation followed by a private service.
Visitation
An individual's presence shows the family that there are friends surrounding them. Your presence shows that you genuinely care for them and are there to support them. Attending the visitation lets the family know that while they are suffering a great loss, they are still connected to the living and that life does go on.
The visitation is a time for friends to offer their condolences, rather than awkwardly bringing up the subject over the phone, at work, etc.
It is also customary, when attending the visitation, to sign the register book if one is provided. A full name should be given.
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At times, when going through the receiving line of immediate family members of the deceased, it can make a person feel uncomfortable. You may not know what to say, or may fear saying the wrong thing. This is quite common. Some suggestions as to what may be appropriate to say to a grieving family member would be:
- "My sympathy to you."
- "It was a pleasure knowing (name of deceased)."
- "My condolences to you and your family."
- "(name of deceased) was an amazing person"
- "He/She will be deeply missed."
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Close family members of the deceased can offer thanks for the acts of
kindness given by others.
Here are several ideas that are commonly used, send out thank you notes, publish an insert in the newspaper, or send an appropriate
floral arrangement.
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