The funeral director's job is to assist families during their time of need 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.

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

·      Removal and transfer of the person who passed away from the place of death to the funeral home

·      Professional and dignified care of the deceased, including embalming, casketing, and cosmetology

·      Consulting with family to make arrangements for the service

·      Filing death certificates, permits, insurance claims, and other required forms

·      Arranging with the cemetery, crematory, or other places of final disposition

·      Creating and publishing the obituary

·      Arranging clergy, music, flowers, transportation, funeral escorts, pallbearers, and special fraternal or military honors for a service

A traditional funeral involves a number of services which add to the total cost. In addition to the non-declinable basic service fee, other charges may include removal/transfer of the body to the funeral home; embalming; use of facilities and staff for visitation and funeral ceremony; use of the hearse and flower van; guest register book and service bulletins; casket or urn, a vault or outer burial container; purchase of a cemetery plot, opening and closing of the grave; fee for motorcycle escort to the cemetery; publishing an obituary in the newspaper; surcharges for services held on weekends and outside normal business hours; memorial tribute dvds, and many other options that make the service as unique and individualized as the person who passed away.

A funeral or memorial service provides an opportunity for the living to show respect for the deceased and pay tribute to their life. It provides a framework to freely and openly express our beliefs, feelings, and thoughts about the death of our loved one. It gives us permission to grieve our loss, share in solidarity, and gain strength from others who are experiencing the same loss.

The four main types of funeral services include the traditional funeral service with burial, cremation with a memorial service, a committal service at the graveside, and the remembrance service - a traditional funeral, but with cremation instead of burial.

Yes, cremation or burial is merely the disposition of the body. Funeral services are to honor and remember your loved one in whatever way will best help your family in the grief journey.

Planning ahead for you or your loved one can be done for all types of funeral services. Pre-arranging is simply recording your wishes with the funeral home, and prefunding if you choose to do so.