A funeral is the customary way to recognize death and its finality. They are a ritual for the living to show honor and respect for the dead and to help survivors begin in the grief process. Public viewings are a part of many cultural and ethnic traditions. Viewing aids the grief process by helping the bereaved recognize the reality of death. It also gives family and friends an opportunity to express sympathies and show their support to the grieving family.

• Funeral directors are caregivers and administrators. They make the arrangements for transportation of the body, complete all necessary paperwork, and implement the choices made by the family regarding the funeral and final disposition of the body.

• Funeral directors are listeners, advisors and supporters. They have experience assisting the bereaved in coping with death. Funeral directors are trained to answer questions about grief, recognize when a person is having difficulty coping, and recommend sources of professional help. Funeral directors also link survivors with support groups at the funeral home or in the community.

Viewing is encouraged for children, but it is ultimately left up to the parent’s discretion. The child should also be given the choice of whether or not to attend. The child should be properly prepared for what she or he will see and how the adults around him or her may act. There are children’s books available that may be helpful in explaining the process.

• Embalming sanitizes and preserves the body, retards the decomposition process, and enhances the appearance of a body disfigured by traumatic death or illness.

• Embalming makes it possible to lengthen the time between death and the final disposition, thus allowing family members time to arrange and participate in the type of service most comforting to them.

No. Most states, however, require embalming when:

• Death was caused by a reportable contagious disease

• Remains are to be transported from one state to another by common carrier

• If final disposition is not to be made within a prescribed number of hours

Call 911. Emergency personnel will access the situation and gather information from the family. The medical personnel will then notify the coroner and the person’s primary care physician. The coroner will then determine whether or not further investigation into the cause of death will be needed. If no further investigation is needed, the medical personnel will contact us at the funeral home.

Yes. Please call us at the appropriate chapel number and we will contact a funeral home in the area where the death has occurred to aid in the removal, preparation, securing the death certificate and transportation to our facility. By having us manage these arrangements, we can often save families time and money. We will need your help in gathering information needed for the completion of the death certificates. These vital records will then be faxed to the aiding funeral home in order to bring your loved one home as quickly as possible.

Vaults are not required by law, but most cemeteries require vaults to be used to preserve cemetery landscape and protect the caskets from damage that heavy machinery, such as machinery used for digging the graves, may cause.

While it is true some metropolitan areas have limited available cemetery space, in most areas of the country, there is enough space set aside for the next 50 years without creating new cemeteries. In addition, land available for new cemeteries is more than adequate, especially with the increase in entombment and multi-level grave burial.

No, cremation is an alternative to earth burial or entombment for the body's final disposition and often follows a traditional funeral service.

Yes, a viewing and even a service in church is possible. The family will have the option of purchasing a cremation casket or renting a casket for the viewing purposes. Once visitation and services are over, our staff will arrange for the cremation to take place.

Personalization can be achieved from a variety of ways. The deceased person’s favorite music can be played during calling hours or incorporated into the service. Memorabilia such as a favorite fishing pole, golf club, or stuffed animal, as well as crafts such as quilts, doilies, clothing or other hand made items can be displayed. A memory board displaying family photos may be constructed by family members.

Some agencies that may provide financial assistance would be Social Security, Veteran, Union and Retirement Agencies. We would be able to aid in filing for such assistance or help in finding answers to questions that you may have about such agencies. Some helpful numbers are listed below.
- Social Security Administration 1-800-772-1213
- Renville County Veteran Service Office 1-320-523-3763

Pre-arranging is a way of making informed decisions ahead of time instead of hasty, emotional choices often made at the time of need. Your true wishes about your funeral can be expressed and made with your family and friends. Pre-arranging your funeral also spares your family stressful decisions at a difficult time by eliminating doubt about what you wanted for your funeral. There are also a wide variety of funding options including life insurance, designed to make pre-payment simple and easy.

This is one of the most often asked questions. It is also one of the most difficult to answer. Everyone experiences grief differently, therefore, each individuals grief period is different. In most cases, the pain associated with grief begins to lessen in the second and third year following death. This does not mean it goes away completely, you will just have more good days than bad days. Some people have said, “The pain has never gone away, I have only learned to accept it”. Acceptance is the final stage of grief.

Grief can affect the entire body as a whole, both emotionally and physically. Those who have lost a loved one can feel many emotions including: shock, numbness, denial, sadness, anxiety, guilt, depression, anger, loneliness or frustration. Physically they can also feel the following symptoms: tightness of the chest or throat, pain in the heart area, panic attacks, dizziness or trembling and also loss of appetite.

There are times when you may think it will never stop. However, as time goes on the tears will come to an end. Keep in mind that crying is healthy because it is an emotional and physical release.

No, although there are the common stages of grief, each person experiences each stage differently. The grief process can be as unique as each individual experiencing it. What may have worked for one person in the grief process may not work for another. Remember to take care of yourself both physically and emotionally. Support groups are very helpful when working through the grief process.

These questions should get you thinking:

• How did you and the deceased become close?

• Is there a humorous or touching event that represents the essence of your passed loved one?

• What did you and others love and admire about the deceased?

• What will you miss most about him or her? Some of the simplest thoughts are deeply touching and easy for those congregated to identify with. For example, "I'll miss her smile," or "I'll never forget the way he laughed," are just as good as "I admired her selflessness."

Tips:

• Be honest and focus on the person's positive qualities.

• Humor is acceptable if it fits the personality of the deceased.

• "If you are inclined to be a perfectionist, lower your expectations and just do what you can given the short time-frame and your emotional state," writes Schaeffer in Labor of Love.

• Keep it brief. Five to ten minutes is the norm, but it's a good idea to verify that with the minister or funeral director.

• Interviewing family and friends will give you more ideas.

• Put the eulogy on paper - at least in outline form.