Why Have A Funeral?

A Funeral Service offers a means of expressing our thoughts and feelings about the death of someone we love.

Meaningful funeral services allow us the opportunity to express our loss through music, comments and fellowship, in a safe environment. They also help us to move from life prior to death to life after death.

One of the most common areas overlooked might be the most obvious - the funeral - who is it for?  The funeral is about the deceased but is for the living. Please consider how you will honour your loved one and what type of service will best fit your families' needs while reflecting the life and personality of your loved one.

Whatever service choice you make, the funeral and the ceremony that accompany it are very important. For those who are left behind, a funeral provides a safe place for family and friends to gather for support and to reminisce; an opportunity to celebrate the life and accomplishments of a loved one; a chance to say goodbye; and the focal point from which the healing process can begin. The funeral identifies that a person's life has been lived, not that a death has occurred.

It is also important to notify the community that this person has died. There are people beyond the immediate family who have the need to grieve a death.  In high profile or tragic deaths, it is often quite apparent that people need an opportunity to say goodbye and to pay their respects to the deceased -  impromptu memorials are often arranged in front of a family home or at the scene of a death with the placing of flowers and candles, or teddy bears in the case of a child.  Although it may not be as obvious in what may be seen as an expected death following a lengthy illness, family and friends will still feel the need to grieve and to express emotion; to come together and to grieve as a community; as a transition to life without a loved one now begins.

In our own community of Brandon, there are times that we have been told by a family that in retrospect they should have had a funeral for a loved one; they may be in the grocery store or at the mall and people will avoid visiting with them, or avoid talking about the deceased because they don't know how the family member will respond.  There was no event to commemorate a life and the public is unsure how to respond or to relate.  Some families will say that the phone does not stop ringing and they just want some quiet time; this is the public saying that they need to grieve with you.  Please consider this at the time of arranging a service.  A gathering does not have to be elaborate, perhaps a memorial reception where family and friends can reminisce, share some stories, and show their love over a cup of coffee will be all that is needed.

There are many ways to personalize the service and make it truly unique as you commemorate the life of your loved one.

To view some of the many ways to personalize a service please click here.