Real World Practice Archives - 91ɫ��Ƭ

Celebrating Life: Creative Approaches to Personalized Funeral Services

pims — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 02:01:00 +0000

A funeral is often referred to as a celebration of their life. It is a somber occasion, but the loved ones of the deceased will share the happy memories they had together in remembrance. Oftentimes, the family and friends of the deceased will want to personalize the service as a final way to be connected to their loved one.

In addition to arranging the funeral service, funeral directors have a duty to be supportive and compassionate. There are a few creative approaches to personalizing the funeral service of the deceased, so that all of the mourners can close out the life of their loved one with happy reminders.

Prioritizing the Family’s Wishes

This may seem like an obvious thing to note, but it really is important to remember. In some cases, mourners feel that their loved one would not want a traditional funeral service. Everyone knows at least one person who says they don’t want a “sad” funeral. Every funeral will be sad, but in these cases they may want to shy away from some of the standard traditions one thinks of when imagining a funeral.

With that being said, no matter how out-of-the-box a mourner’s idea is for the funeral service, it should be heard and acknowledged by the funeral director. Even if it is something the director feels they can’t practically do, they could find a way to compromise.

Including Long-Distant Relatives/Friends

In today’s culture, it is easy to find ways to include loved ones who would not be able to attend the service. Most often, this is done through a tribute video. The family and friends would provide photos of the deceased, and then a tribute video can be made with these photos to send to those that couldn’t make it.

A bonus with tribute videos is that everyone involved in the deceased’s life can have them, so even if they were able to attend the funeral, they still have the video to use for their own healing purposes.

Paying Attention to Small Details

By personalizing the space with photos, flowers, beloved items of the deceased, and whatever else the mourners asked for, those who are attending the funeral will be really impressed and feel as if they are in a space meant to celebrate their loved one.

It might be beneficial to ask the family about the deceased’s favorite songs, flowers, or colors. And if they want to have even more personal items involved, ask if there is anything that is special to their loved one that should be featured at the service in some way.

Final Thoughts

Working as a funeral director is more than just embalming bodies and planning funerals. While both of these aspects are involved, a lot more care and patience goes into really creating a memorable experience for the loved ones of the deceased.

We are proud to say that the funeral industry is gaining more talent to provide these services to the world, as the most recent 91ɫ��Ƭ class graduates on September 16, 2023. We wish them all the best on their post-graduation journeys!

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91ɫ��Ƭ students visit Wilbert Vault

pims — Fri, 03 Aug 2018 13:37:58 +0000

91ɫ��Ƭ students visit Wilbert Vault

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91ɫ��Ƭ Instructor Interviewed for Online Publication

pims — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 02:36:40 +0000

Bryan E. Chandler is a proud Graduate of the 91ɫ��Ƭ Campus Class #118 in 1999 was interviewed for Slate Magazine about funeral homes in the internet era. Bryan served as the youngest location manager for the former Hamilton Group Corporation at age 23. He went on to eventually open his own firm Chandler Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Caldwell, Ohio in 2004, where he still cares for families today. He also serves the Southeastern Ohio area with Trade Embalming services. Bryan has served on the Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors as Secretary. He has been privileged to be a part of the 91ɫ��Ƭ Team as an adjunct instructor for the 91ɫ��Ƭ Distance Education Program for close to 10 years, teaching several classes from Communications, Thanatology, and Funeral Management.

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91ɫ��Ƭ Students Visit Jefferson Memorial Park

pims — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 15:19:17 +0000

On Tuesday, November 14, 2017, the students from Class #156 attended a field trip at the Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home, Cemetery, and Crematory. While this visit has been a regular part of the campus students training, this latest field trip was, in a word, spectacular. The students assembled at the funeral home in the morning where the Jefferson staff welcomed all and provided an itinerary of the day.

The day began with a tour of the impressive funeral home facilities, which included the visitation areas, arrangement conferences rooms, the beautifully appointed main chapel, as well as the state of the art preparation facility. As Jefferson staff members conducted the tour they also shared professional insights to the students about all aspects of funeral directing, family service, and clinical operations. To help the students really appreciate the daily operations of a funeral service professional, the Jefferson staff arranged different types of service options including a traditional viewing and a cremated remains memorial service in various locations throughout this impressive facility.

Next, the Jefferson staff shared some “real world” practice with the 91ɫ��Ƭ students by conducting various types of mock funeral services including a Celebration of Life secular service, a blessing prayer and service at the funeral home, and then it was off to church for an outline of the Catholic funeral mass. In a most impressive manner, the remarkable staff at Jefferson treated the students to a real time funeral experience by placing a casket into a funeral coach, lining up the students’ vehicles, and processing to Nativity Catholic Church. Upon arrival to Nativity Church, the Jefferson staff worked with the 91ɫ��Ƭ students on the protocols of directing a funeral into a Catholic church.

At the church, the Jefferson staff reviewed the typical procedures for administrating church funerals and then took general questions from the class. That said, taking time to demonstrate each of the tasks in a real-world setting was just the beginning of our visit to Nativity Church; the gracious hosts from Jefferson rented out the hall at the Church and provided a delicious lunch for the students. Following lunch, the casket was placed back into the coach and our cortege proceeded back to the Jefferson Cemetery and Mausoleum where a mock committal service was held and then the 91ɫ��Ƭ students were given a tour of the mausoleum and crematory.

In closing, on behalf of all the students, faculty, and administration at 91ɫ��Ƭ, we are sincerely grateful for this remarkable field trip hosted by Jefferson Memorial Park. We recognize and thank all of those involved, especially Mr. and Mrs. Harry Neel (the owners of Jefferson) for their hospitality, passion, and concern for “giving back” to the funeral service by sharing their ideas and experiences in context with the students of the 91ɫ��Ƭ.

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