INDUSTRY INSIGHT
FUNERAL SERVICES
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Theme of Life
Yes, We Make It Happen
A caller to our funeral home recently asked,“ Can we go to the crematory? We want to be there when Mom goes to the crematory.” I quickly answered,“ Absolutely. It is your right to be there.”“ No, really, you don’ t have a problem with that?”“ Not at all. You can be there,” I said. I was taken aback by the caller’ s shock. I plainly stated,“ If you wish to go to the crematory with your mom, you can be there.” The caller said,“ We will be right over there in a half an hour.”
During our conference, I was told by the family that they were refused the opportunity to see their mother to the crematory by another funeral director. My thoughts are if a funeral director says,“ This is how we do things here,” or“ We always do it this way,” you need to leave that funeral home. That family walked out of the funeral home when they were refused consideration of their reasonable request.
In 2015, more people were cremated than buried in the U. S. Therefore, I am not surprised that more people are asking to go to the crematory. Almost all of us have been to a graveside service at a cemetery. However, I imagine that less than 3 % of people have ever been to a crematory.
Paraphrasing author Thomas Lynch, many choose cremation not so much as an alternative to burial, but as an alternative to bother. Please, let people bother. Cremation is an ancient and honorable means of disposition. Mostly, everyone deserves a final and fitting goodbye. Family and friends need some time to be together to remember and share.
Speaking of sharing, I would like to share the following examples of what families recently have chosen to do at our funeral home.
We hosted a service for someone who loved lawn bowling, an ancient game of skill and strategy. The family asked everyone attending to please wear white polo shirts and white slacks or shorts. Photos of lawn bowling tournaments, news articles and trophies were placed throughout our building. The atmosphere of camaraderie and friendship were present.
One family chose a beach theme, asking friends and family to come in Bermuda shorts, sandals and Hawaiian shirts. We played Jimmy Buffett and reggae music. It was so cool.
Another family asked if we could accommodate a full traditional Buddhist ceremony filled with prayers, chanting, food offerings, burning incense and candles. The funeral was memorable, uplifting and meaningful.
There was a funeral honoring a woman whose hobby was creating beautiful, miniature dioramas. She had created houses, floral shops, and an artist painting a beautiful scene on a beach. These creations were displayed throughout the funeral home as a remembrance of her life.
Your wishes and requests are honored and fulfilled at our spacious, clean and modern facility. We can comfortably seat over 100 people for services. We have a built-in music system that can accommodate CDs, cassette tapes, smartphones and laptops. We offer Wi-Fi service. Parking for over 700 vehicles is within a very short distance. We are conveniently located one block from Route 8 across the street from the Eat’ n Park Restaurant in Shaler Township.
Many people think all funeral homes are the same; they are not. We are not.
This Industry Insight was written by Frank Perman, FD, Supervisor, CFSP, CPC, CCO, CFC. He is the owner of Perman Funeral Home and Cremation Services Inc., 923 Saxonburg Boulevard at Rt. 8 in Shaler Township. Mr. Perman believes an educated consumer makes the most personal, affordable and memorable decisions. Inquiries may be made to Mr. Perman at 412.486.3600 or emailed to frank @ permanfuneralhome. com.
Hampton | Fall 2016 | icmags. com 17