Traditional Funeral Services
The Basics of Traditional Funeral Services
Traditional funeral services include:
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Visitation: This is often called a viewing or a wake. Guests come to pay their respects to the deceased by viewing their casketed body and spending time with the grieving family. A visitation can occur at any time before the funeral service.
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Funeral Service: This event commonly takes place at the funeral home, a church, or at the graveside. It can include music, the reading of literary or religious passages, a eulogy, prayer, and the singing of hymns.
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Committal Service: If the family plans to bury the deceased, this stage involves the vehicle procession to the cemetery, the committal service and the placement of the casket in the vault for the burial of the remains.
A funeral service, whether traditional or more modern (memorial service or celebration-of-life), has two functions: to acknowledge the death and lifetime achievements of an individual and to bring grieving family members and friends together in support of one another during this difficult time.
If you are interested in making funeral arrangements for a loved one, we invite you to call us at 828-680-9963 to begin or fill out an online form and we will be in contact with you, to assist with your needs.
Online Sources:
Rostad, Curtis, "The Basics of Funeral Service", Indiana Funeral Directors Association, 2014