Monthly Archives: October 2020

funeral homes in West Seattle, WA

Questions To Answer About Headstones

When you have to look into getting a headstone for a loved one who is going through final services with funeral homes in West Seattle, WA, there are lots of things you will want to consider. In order to get the right choice, ask yourself some of the following questions and that can help point you in the right direction.

How Much Do I Have To Spend?

One important aspect of what headstone you will get for your loved one is how much you have to spend on the project. There are a lot of different price points based on size, materials, and more and you need to know how much you have to spend. There are also a lot of different expenses involved in funerals as a whole. You don’t want to spend too much on the headstone and not have enough for something else important to your loved one’s services.

What Does The Cemetery Allow?

Once you have chosen a cemetery for your loved one and you purchase a plot, you will need to get a headstone that goes along with whatever guidelines they have in place. Some cemeteries have size and/or material restrictions so they can have a more streamlined look. You will want to check into these rules before you get a plot, so you don’t get a plot that restricts things you really want for your headstone.

What Do I Want It To Say?

Headstones can usually be customized to include whatever engraving you’d like. A lot of people just put a person’s name, their birth date and death date. However, you could also put a short phrase to describe them. Some also like to have a figure carved into the stone like a flower or an angel. There are many different options.

Would My Loved One Like It?

Whatever you do with the headstone, you will want to ask whether or not you think your loved one would like it. You want it to be something they would appreciate. If they were there to choose a headstone, would they make similar choices? You want to honor their preferences and personality with whatever you get. But also keep in mind that you are making the decisions and you are just doing the best you can with what you have to work with. Don’t be too hard on yourself.

funeral homes in West Seattle, WA

When you work with funeral homes in West Seattle, WA on final services, it’s important to think about what you want for your loved one’s headstone. The professionals at Columbia Funeral Home & Crematory can go over options and questions with you until you feel like you have the right fit for your loved one. Make sure you proof read anything you want to have engraved with great care so there aren’t any mistakes there that you would have to pay to correct later. Check the options over with loved ones as well and see what they think before you move forward with certain choices. It might give you more confidence in your decision.

cremation services in West Seattle, WA

Using Kids At Cremation Services

There are lots of ways to incorporate family members of many different kinds at cremation services in West Seattle, WA. There might be some kids in the family, for example, who would like a part in the process and would do well in certain roles. Here are some ways you might consider using a kid at a cremation service, depending on the type of service you are planning.

Greeters

Whether you are having a traditional memorial service, something in a park, or even a celebration of life, it’s nice to designate someone to greet those who are joining you for the service. That might mean pairing an adult up with a child and having them greet people together. Having a younger person at the door, doing those greetings can give people a smile. If they are a close relative of the deceased, like a grandchild, it can also be nice as people will see the generations that are carrying on the legacy of the person who passed on.

Distributors

There might be something to pass out at the service, like programs, pictures, balloons, or other such things, depending on what you are doing at the service. Children might be good to serve at distributors of those things. Again, they could be placed alongside an adult if they are too young to do that alone. It can give them something to do and can help them feel a part of the day.

Help With Seating

If there are seats at the event, the kids can keep an eye on where there are empty seats and help people find a place to sit when they arrive. They can act as ushers and show them to those seats so everyone in their group has a place. IF there aren’t seats, they can show guests where the refreshments are, tell them where the restrooms are, or something else like that.

Do A Reading

Kids of the right age who don’t mind speaking in front of a group might like to read a poem, Bible verse, or something else for the memorial service. It can be a touching moment for everyone at the service and it can make them feel good to honor the person who passed on in that manner.

cremation services in West Seattle, WA

IF you have a child in your family and you want them to be involved in the cremation services in West Seattle, WA in some way or another, the professionals at Columbia Funeral Home & Crematory can help you figure out what might work the best. Give us a call, tell us about the child in question, and we can offer expert advice and ideas that might work well for your situation. We want you to be able to honor your love done and we want any child you’d like to have involved to participate in the right ways as well. Having children present and included can mean a lot to everyone and they might need to honor the loved one that passed on as well.

funeral homes in Tukwila, WA

Planning Your Services With Funeral Homes—For You And Your Family

There are lots of reasons to plan your own final services in advance. If you are thinking about contacting one of the funeral homes in Tukwila, WA to do just that, you might have your own reasons in mind. Whatever they are, it’s a good idea to remember both yourself and your family when you make the plans. Here a few ways it will benefit both sides of that group.

No More Guessing

When you think about the end of your life, which no one really likes to do, you might wonder what your family will do to honor you. Will they cremate you? Will they give you a traditional burial? You’ll never know…unless you set the services up yourself. Your family, on the other hand, might wonder what you would have wanted. If you don’t’ tell them, they would have to guess at that if you passed on without letting them in. When you make your own final plans, you don’t have to guess at what your family would do, and they don’t have to guess at what you would have wanted.

Lower Service Costs

It’s always nice to pay less instead of more. If you could get a car ten years from now (or more) at today’s prices, wouldn’t that be grand? They’ll cost a lot more in the future, you can guarantee that. The same is true about final services. When you plan now, you can also pay now. You get to pay today’s prices and those prices stick, even if your funeral is forty years from now when prices are much higher. That saves you a lot of money and it saves your loved one’s the burdens of paying for anything at all. It’s nice to leave them more money in the future instead of having to spend it on services.

Peace Of Mind

Once your plans are in place, you can have peace of mind. You know what’s going to happen when you pass on and you know your family understands what you want. That can also give your family peace of mind, both now and later. Now, they understand what you want and later, when you pass on, they put the plans into action with ease, knowing it’s what you asked to have done.

funeral homes in Tukwila, WA

There are lots of reasons why planning your own final services with funeral homes in Tukwila, WA in advance is in your best interest—and in the best interests of your family members. If you are starting to head down that path, contact the professionals at Columbia Funeral Home & Crematory and we can help you with the specifics. We know that it’s hard to think about your own death, but we’re here to give you the information you need to make the best possible decisions for your future, no matter how far into the future you might need these plans. We’ll keep them safe until then and your family will have them in place and ready.

cremation services in Tukwila, WA

Reducing Cremation Service Planning Stress

If you have to plan cremation services in Tukwila, WA for a loved one who passed on, there’s no doubt about it—it’s going to be stressful. But while you are grieving, you need to cut back on stress, not heighten it. There are things you can do to relieve yourself of as much stress as you can so you can get the plans in place and still grieve yourself in a healthy manner. Here are a few options to consider:

Keep It Simple With Packages

Cremation services don’t have to be complicated to plan. When you visit with the funeral home, they will show you various package options for the services you need. You only have to purchase a package deal and that will give you everything you have to have for a cremation. You can leave it there and everything is taken care of in a simple manner. While you have the choice to add whatever you’d like, to reduce stress, sometimes it’s best to go with a package and leave it at that.

Ask Others To Help

If you do want to get more involved and add things to a package, like a memorial service, a unique urn, and other such things, you shouldn’t have to take on all of the plans yourself. Instead, you might want to ask other people to help you, so you don’t have to shoulder as many of the burdens on your own. You could ask someone to organize a memorial display while someone else takes care of the reception and so on. You are surrounded by people who love you and who loved your loved one. They can help you with those things and you don’t have to do it all alone.

Spread It Out

Once direct cremation is complete, you don’t have a timeline on the rest of the services you might want to have. While some people might want to go ahead with a memorial right away, others prefer to wait longer to get something really special set up. You can spread things out, so you don’t have to rush to plan the memorial service. Let the death settle in a bit and get used to the idea before you move ahead. You can take your time in honoring your loved one, so you are able to get something together that is really special for them and your whole family.

cremation services in Tukwila, WA

When you are working on cremation services in Tukwila, WA for a family member, it can be stressful. The professionals at Columbia Funeral Home & Crematory are here to relieve you of as many burdens as possible. IF you need help, call us. Once you make decisions on certain things, we will implement the plans for you so you can spend more time with your family. While we won’t make choices for you, we will help you decide with options and information so you can feel good about what you want to do moving forward. We’re here to give you the compassion and support you need.