Funerals
Funeral choices
Your Funeral Director
What is the role of the funeral director ?
The majority of people choose to use a professional funeral director . This can help at what is generally a stressful time , and will ensure that the remains of the person who has died are dealt with in a dignified way . Your funeral director can advise you about the options available to you .
Choosing a funeral director
Friends , family , religious clerics or your doctor may be able to recommend local funeral directors . Most local companies are also listed in this publication .
Most funeral directors are members of one of two trade associations :
• National Association of Funeral Directors ( NAFD )
• Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors ( SAIF ).
What music can you choose ?
Many traditional religious pieces of music are comfortingly familiar but this may not always be appropriate . You may wish to select some pieces of music which were personal favourites of the deceased .
What readings can you choose ?
Readings of prose and poetry at a funeral ceremony can be an effective way to make the ceremony personal to the deceased and the bereaved family .
Keep in mind whether the service is trying to convey a sense of the celebration of life , a thanksgiving for a life or to reflect the pain and grief of loss . Family and friends may feel that this is a contribution they can make . If a family member or friend is reading , it is worth checking that the reader is able to cope with what will , inevitably , be an emotional moment .
Words and books are often a great source of comfort and strength following a bereavement and the library can help you in many ways :
• to find suitable poems or readings for the memorial service
• providing practical contact details for organisations and sources of advice
• books that may help you understand grief and loss
• reading material of all kinds that will help to keep you well
• a calm place to be .
Please call in at any library or phone 01865 815509 to find out how we may be able to support you .
You can also visit us online : www . oxfordshire . gov . uk / libraries
Member firms must provide you with a price list on request and cannot exceed any written estimate they give you without your permission .
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