Information on Funeral Services

Funeral services offer a time of remembrance and foster a sense of community for friends and family of a deceased person. During a funeral service, people have the opportunity to share their favorite memories with the deceased and say goodbye. The details and orientation of a service are solely based on the religious and personal decisions made by the family at the time of death.

History

• Funerals became more common after the Civil War.

  In the United States, funerals became more popular after the Civil War. By the start of the 20th century, it became a common practice for families. Before then, a person was buried, usually unpreserved, in a shallow grave. Funeral homes overcame being shunned by society to emerge as a trustworthy and respectable business. As the knowledge of embalming and its practices grew, funeral directors, also known as morticians or embalmers, began to offer religious and nonreligious services.

Purpose

• Funeral services allow for a gathering in honor of a deceased person. Friends and families are able to meet and express sympathy toward each other. It is common for people to send floral arrangements to the funeral home for the family and to be displayed during the service and at the grave. A funeral officiate or minister will share words of peace during a funeral service to help comfort and console the survivors. Once the service is completed, a short secondary service occurs at the grave before the body is lowered into the ground. If the funeral service is for a cremated body, it is used as a memorial service only.

Location

• The first funeral services were in the home of the deceased. Modern funerals are at a funeral home on most occasions, but some are in a church. Religious services can be performed at either the funeral home or the church. Additionally, a secondary service can be held at the time of burial at a cemetery or inside a mausoleum chapel.

Types of Services

• Funeral services can be religious or secular. If the deceased was a member of a specific religion or church, the family might choose to have a service officiated by a minister or priest from that religion. Services can be traditional or a memorial service. A memorial service is simply a time to gather with friends and family. These services are often shorter than a traditional service. If the deceased was a member of the military, the service might feature military personnel, the playing of taps and the folding and presentation of the U.S. flag.

Time

• Most funerals happen within three days of death.

  Funeral services occur after preparations with a funeral home have been made for the deceased. Most funerals occur within three days of death, but under special circumstances a funeral might take place at a later time. If family members are waiting for other family to be able to attend or if the funeral home is especially busy, a funeral service can take place seven to 10 days after death has occurred. During the winter months when the ground is frozen, many families opt to have funeral services in the spring when their loved one can be buried at the same time.