FAQ: Funeral Services

Throughout human history, and around the globe, people have gathered together to acknowledge the death of a member of the community. No matter who the deceased was, a funeral ceremony is the one (and sometimes the only) opportunity for everyone to come together to acknowledge their death, recognize the community's shared loss and share the burden of grief. A funeral helps to confirm the finality of death and allows us to honor and celebrate the life that was lived.  

The cost of a funeral service is wholly dependent on the specific services and products selected by the family member(s) responsible for making the funeral arrangements. Determining factors include: the professional services of the funeral home (this includes embalming & body preparation, use of facilities, use of automotive vehicles and merchandise items, such as the casket and outer burial container). We will thoroughly explain all options, ask the important questions about your family's budget restrictions; and otherwise do everything we can to provide you with a respectful and dignified funeral service that meets your emotional and social needs, all the while staying in line with your financial expectations. Keep in mind that in addition to the expenses from the funeral home, cash advance charges will be added to the overall cost of the selected service. In our area, the average price of a traditional funeral with a visitation and funeral service can range between $ 8,000.00 to $ 11,000. 

The cost of a funeral service is always going to be greater than a memorial service or celebration of life. Once again, the final cost of any service depends on the choices you make when planning the service. Very roughly speaking, a memorial service and celebration of life (which would most likely involve a charge for cremation or immediate burial) will cost about one third to half the price of a traditional funeral service. 

In our area it is still common for the time, date and the location of the funeral service to be published in the obituary section of our local newspaper, the “Indiana Gazette”. Therefore, it is widely expected that family and friends will arrive for the visiatation & funeral at the specified dates and times that were published in the newspaper. The only time you would ever need to worry about inviting guests to a funeral service, is if the service was going to be private. 

Flowers create a background of warmth and beauty which adds to the dignity and consolation of the funeral service. "Necessary" may not be the right word; but there's no doubt flowers at a funeral or other end-of-life ceremony serve many valuable purposes including a means of a visual expression of sympathy, love and respect.

The preparation of the deceased can involve a number of different tasks performed by a licensed and trained funeral director. Without going into too much detail; the body is temporarily preserved by embalming, refrigeration, or a combination of the two. It is washed, dressed and otherwise groomed; then placed in the chosen casket for viewing. Should you wish to know more about the process, contact us. 

Sometimes we need to see in order to truly believe. It's a way of confirming the fact that, indeed, this individual has died. It's also an opportunity for you to say your final "good-byes". Seeing someone who has died allows you to come to terms with their death. It verifies the finality of death. 

When asked this question, we like to tell people it's best done with honesty and awareness. Let them know basically what they can expect. Advise them there will be people there who will be sad and may cry openly; tell them there will be time for some people to stand up and talk about how much they loved the person (but they won't be required to do so). Let them ask all the questions they need to ask, reassure them you'll be right next to them throughout the experience. Never force them to go to a funeral, and always give them the opportunity to change their mind about attending.

There are many factors involved that determine the length of a funeral service. A funeral held in a church is usually longer than a funeral held at the funeral home. A church service usually involves more musical selections, scripture readings and religious rites and rituals. Roughly speaking, a church funeral is about an hour to an hour and a half in length, whereas a funeral held in the funeral home is between 30 to 45 minutes.

Black used to be the only color to wear to a funeral; but not anymore. Today things are less formal than they once were, and it's not uncommon for guests to wear casual clothing to a visitation or funeral. Be respectful and try to stay on the conservative side. Don’t wear anything that you would wear to a party or to a festive event. Should you have additional questions about funeral attire or etiquette, please contact us.