Funeral Service Options

A funeral represents a purposeful opportunity to reflect on the meaning of a life that has been lived and to determine the impact of that meaning for the family and friends. There is no single proper funeral service. It is a time for human sharing in its deepest sense. You and the ones you love are at the very center of the process, and the choices you make will determine its significance for you. As you participate in the planning of the funeral service, you help create a meaningful experience for everyone.

It is the goal of Edwards Funeral Service to help people complete the relationship with the one who has died and to provide a climate that encourages each person to give and receive emotional support. During the funeral service, family and friends have the opportunity to relate to each other at the deepest levels and find mutual strength.

Traditionally, the funeral will be a complete funeral service. This includes a family or public viewing of the deceased. Following this will be a service, typically in the church or at the funeral home. This would be followed by an earth burial or above ground entombment of the casketed remains.  Caskets selected may range in price from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars mainly depending on the material used to construct the casket.  Many cemeteries require a minimum grave liner be used to encase the casket when an earth burial is performed. These minimum grave liners are typically constructed of concrete and are designed to hold the weight of the earth helping to maintain the cemetery property.  An air-seal or sealed vault may also be used.  These vaults add protection against underground elements, such as, water.  These vaults are usually constructed of concrete or metal and are another option for families who select ground burial.

The graveside service can be another selection. This many times would follow a time of visitation at the funeral home. The casketed remains would then be transferred to the cemetery where a graveside ceremony could take place followed by the burial.

The complete cremation or aquamation service is another type of selected offering.  This service will be just like a complete funeral service offering,  except cremation or aquamation will follow instead of the casketed burial. This can be accommodated by the use of a cremation casket (a casket designed to be cremated) or a rental casket. Following the visitation, service or ceremony, and eventual cremation or aquamation, the remains can be buried, properly scattered, or returned to the family.  Urns or temporary containers are used to hold the remains. Temporary containers can be constructed out of cardboard, plastic or basic metal.  Urns are constructed out of more durable materials like marble, granite, bronze, stainless steel, ceramic or wood.  Many families select an urn when they desire permanent memorialization, such as, ground burial, niche inurnment or placing the urn in a personal columbarium or cremation bench.  Urns are also frequently selected when a family wishes to take the remains home to display them in a personal setting that brings them comfort or reflects the personal style or interests of their loved one or themselves.

The immediate cremation or aquamation service can be arranged as an immediate disposition of the body, but is most times followed by a memorial service at the church, funeral home or other location. A Memorial Service is one where the body is not present. We recommend that if you select an immediate cremation or aquamation that you are allowed a time, if possible, to privately view the body as a family. If the viewing can be done in a matter of a few hours after the death then embalming will not be necessary. If there is to be a long delay then embalming would be encouraged. State laws vary as to when embalming becomes required. Viewing of the deceased is a very important step in acknowledging that the death has occurred. Having some type of service or ceremony is also a key ingredient to a healthy recovery of a loss due to a death.

A green burial or Aquamation service is a cremation alternative, and a viable alternative to the most common types of burial practices in the United States. These are both earth friendly alternatives when considering cremation or “traditional” burial options. The cremation process itself is not considered green due to the air pollution issues from mercury emissions it creates. But, there are green solutions for final resting places for all methods of disposition. For burial a bio-degradable casket, shroud or favorite blanket is used to encase the body. There is no embalming or vault used. Aquamation is a green disposition process and the remains can then be placed in a bio-degradable urn that can be buried. Also, there is an option for both the remains after cremation or Aquamation is performed called Eternal Reefs. This is a company that offers underwater burial at sea in artificial reefs. By mixing the remains with concrete, these artificial reefs provide a lasting environmentally friendly memorial for families and individuals that select cremation or Aquamation.

At Edwards Funeral Service, we encourage families to create personalized services.It is important to acknowledge the life that has been lived and to offer the community a way to celebrate that life. By offering services and memorialization features that are personal and special, a life can be remembered and honored in an individualized way that is comforting to the family and friends.

When a death occurs, your primary responsibility is to yourself and the ones you love. There are a number of things that require attention simultaneously. Regardless of the day or hour, Edwards Funeral Service is always prepared to respond to your needs quickly and competently. The funeral director's main function is to assist you with the necessary details of the funeral process. Among the services funeral directors provide are:

• Arranging funeral plans
• Securing necessary permits and death certificates
• Care and custody of the body
• Coordinating all details with the clergy
• Arranging the music you have selected
• Placing obituary and funeral notices in newspapers
• Assisting in arranging for burial or cremation
• Assisting in arrangements for cemetery space, grave opening and closing, flowers and monuments
• Arranging transportation for you and the members of your family prior to, during, and after the funeral
• Supervision of the funeral or memorial service
• All necessary arrangements for transportation, funeral service, and burial if the deceased is to be sent to a distant location