Jenkins-Soffe_Planning the Funeral Services of a Loved One

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Planning the Funeral Services of a Loved One Coping with the passing of a loved one is one of life’s hardest challenges. When a beloved family member or other individual passes away it can be very difficult for the surviving family members to perform a few necessary tasks such as planning the funeral services for the deceased individual. This can be sometimes unpleasant or heart wrenching as the prospect of dealing with such business like decisions can feel to some as being insensitive to the memory of the deceased but rest assured that proper planning of a funeral service in Salt Lake City is, in fact, a responsible and necessary act that needs to be managed by the next of kin. It is important to here remember, however, that the family members of the deceased will not be left to themselves through this process if the services of an established funeral home are retained.

The Staff is There to Help Funeral home staff members are trained professionals who will assist in any way the carrying forth of the funeral services, including advising and helping with the planning phase of the services. Still, it is important for the family members themselves to know how to plan for a service and what types of items concerning funeral services need to be taken care of following the death of a loved one. Firstly is to consider and decide when funeral services for the deceased will take place. Services to honor and remember the deceased can take place before or after the burial or cremation but the timing of the services will greatly affect the other proceedings and should therefore be agreed upon soon after the person passes. Akin to when the funeral should take place is where the funeral services will take place. Most funeral homes will have a specious room in which the family can choose to hold the funeral services or a block of time at a local church or other house of worship may also be requested and reserved for the holding of funeral services.

Planning the Proceedings After the time and location of the funeral services have been decided upon the family, with the support and help of the funeral home, can begin to plan out the proceedings of the funeral service. If the deceased was a member of the military or a fraternal or societal group, those organizations may be contacted to provide their distinct commemorative services such as the presentation of the American flag by the military to its deceased veterans.


Some aspects of a traditional funeral service may be omitted by the family of the deceased if so desired but usually a gathering of individuals to a funeral will come to remember the individual and commemorate the deceased’s life. This means that a family should provide a eulogy or eulogies to be spoken or read during the service by individuals, such as other family members, who were close to the deceased or who had cherished relationships with them. The services themselves can be much altered and arranged by the family of the deceased to fit the needs, both financially and practically, of that family. Perhaps the most important aspect to remember when planning a funeral is the wishes of those individuals who have passed away through examination of their will or other documents that will offer suggestions on how they wish their funeral services to be orchestrated.


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