How to Put Together the Perfect Obituary for a Loved One
April 6, 2020
One of the many things that families have to do when making funeral arrangements for their loved ones at funeral homes in Glade Spring, VA is put together obituaries. It’s actually one of the first things that they’ll do since it’s important for them to let other people know when their loved one’s funeral services are going to be held. In theory, it might seem as though creating an obituary from scratch would be simple enough. But it’s not necessarily as easy as it looks. Check out our guide on how to put together the perfect obituary below.Start things off by being as straightforward as you can possibly be. The first couple lines of an obituary are pretty easy to write. They should be used to announce the death of your loved one and should include their full name, the dates of their birth and death, and their hometown and current location. It’s important to keep this part of the obituary straightforward so that people can easily identify your loved one and know that the obituary is for them. You don’t want to confuse anyone who may have known them by making this basic information any more complicated than it has to be.Determine which family members are going to be mentioned. After listing the basic info that we just talked about, it’ll be time to ease your way into mentioning your loved one’s family members. This can be tough to do since there are likely dozens of family members that could be mentioned in this spot. But generally speaking, you should try to limit the family members that are mentioned to immediate family only. There might be room for one or two honorable mentions, but otherwise, you shouldn’t go too over the top and list every member of your family or you’ll run out of room in a hurry.Figure out which biographical information will be included. What are the key things that you want people to know about the life that your loved one led? Do you want to focus on their education and their work life or put more of an emphasis on the volunteering that they did and all the good they brought to the world? You should list all the biographical info that you want to include and find a good way to piece it all together. This same biographical info can also be used when delivering a eulogy during a person’s Glade Spring, VA funeral services.Spice things up with some personality towards the end. When a person is finished reading your loved one’s obituary, they should have a real sense of what kind of person they were. You can accomplish this by working some personality into the mix towards the end of the obituary. Often times, this is as simple as listing a person’s hobbies and emphasizing what they liked to do in their free time. It’ll paint a clear picture of who your loved one was and show what they valued in their life. It’ll help solidify their legacy in a lot of ways while also wrapping up their obituary in the best way possible.Need a hand crafting an obituary for your loved one? Farris Funeral Service, Inc. – Main Street Chapel can help you with it when you turn to us to make Glade Spring, VA funeral arrangements. Call us at (276) 623-2700 or stop by and see us at 427 E Main St, Abingdon, VA 24210 to start the funeral planning process with a funeral home you can trust.
What is your role at Farris Funeral Service and how long have you been a part of the team?
My role at Farris Funeral Service is helping with family visitations and funerals as a funeral assistant. We all will be a part of the grief process at some time in our lifetime. I feel as part of my job is to help comfort the families and that brings comfort to myself. I have been with the Farris team for 23 years.What is your favorite part of working at Farris Funeral Service?
My favorite part is greeting families, and supporting them during the loss of a loved one.What are some of your favorite hobbies?
My family and 3 grand children are my favorite hobbies. Every minute I spend time with them shows me I have done a good job. I am blessed.
What is your role at Farris Funeral Service and how long have you been a part of the team?
I began my employment at Farris Funeral Service as a funeral assistant in May of 2014 and later as part of administration.What is your favorite part of working at Farris Funeral Service?
I love and enjoy working with each of my co-workers. It also gives me great joy to know that maybe I have helped someone grieving for a love one they have lost. Whether it be a smile, a kind and understanding word I said, a shoulder to cry on or just a listening ear. Hopefully that would give them comfort in a difficult time and some peace in the days to come. I have made many new friends working here.What are some of your favorite hobbies?
I enjoy cross-stitching, working puzzles and taking care of my flowers.
What is your role at Farris Funeral Service and how long have you been a part of the team?
I started at Farris Funeral Service as a Funeral Assistant in February 2020. I’m currently serving as a Licensed Funeral Services Intern since July 2020.What is your favorite part of working at Farris Funeral Service?
I enjoy working and learning alongside the other FFS team members who work hard and pursue excellence with compassion in all they do. As a former Minister, I also appreciate opportunities to meet and work with bereaved families, hoping to provide some comfort in the process. The process of planning and carrying out arrangements for a loved one is a difficult one; I’m grateful that I can be of service to families at those times.What are some of your favorite hobbies?
I enjoy hiking, playing bass with my church Praise Team, researching various topics, rock ’n’ roll trivia, puns, and coffee (but not necessarily in that order).
What is your role at Farris Funeral Service and how long have you been a part of the team?
I am an Aftercare Coordinator and I have been working at Farris Funeral Service in this role since 2015.What is your favorite part of working at Farris Funeral Service?
We have a great team and I enjoy working with everyone. I also am thankful that I can help families in their time of need and be a listening ear.What are some of your favorite hobbies?
Spending quality time with my family is a priority of mine. My husband and I have two children, Luca is 4 and Mila is 1, and we enjoy being outside, traveling and being active. I love to run and participate in 5Ks when I have the time.
What is your role at Farris Funeral Service and how long have you been a part of the team?
I am a licensed funeral service intern and certified crematory operator. I have been with Farris Funeral Service for just over a year now.What is your favorite part of working at Farris Funeral Service? I love this firm's ability to care for families at the highest level. It has been the most wonderful place to learn the art of supporting families through some of the most difficult times of their lives. But, more than that, there's an incredible sense of community, both inside the building, and as our services reach into the lives of those we serve.What are some of your favorite hobbies? When I'm not working, I enjoy taking my dog, Lily on walks, spending time with my grandfather, and hiking with my Fiance, Zach. I am also an avid reader, writer, and musician.
What is your role at Farris Funeral Service and how long have you been apart of the team?
"I work in administration for Farris and also as a funeral assistant. Hard to believe but I have been an employee for 20 years. I have made a lot of new friends going to the health department to take death certificates."What is your favorite part of working at Farris Funeral Service?
"I don't know that I have a favorite part, I enjoy working with all my fellow employees. However, the most enjoyable part I will have to say, is when I truly feel that I have helped a grieving family to feel comfort and peace in some way when they have lost someone dear to them. I like the satisfaction of going home at the end of a busy day, knowing I have done my very best in which ever field I have worked."What are some of your favorite hobbies?
"My favorite hobby is tending to my flowers. Taking walks in the mountains and feeding the birds."
As recently as just a few years ago, the idea of holding a celebration of life ceremony in place of a traditional funeral sounded preposterous to a lot of people. But these days, there are a lot of families that are making the decision to stage celebration of life ceremonies following their loved one's cremation services in Meadowview, VA. If you and your family are kicking around the idea of doing it, there are some useful tips that can help you bring the plans for a celebration of life ceremony to life. Here are several tips that you should keep in mind as you set out to plan a celebration of life ceremony.Begin by figuring out the best time to hold a celebration of life ceremony for a loved one. One of the best parts about having a celebration of life ceremony for a loved one is that you don’t have to do it at any set time. You can hold it a day after their Meadowview, VA cremation, or you can wait a few weeks or even a few months to hold it. It’s up to you. But you and your family will have to sit down and decide when the best time to have it would be shortly before your loved one is cremated. It’ll get you all on the same page about it and allow you to nail down the right date for it.Look for the right place to have a celebration of life ceremony for a loved one. Another thing that you and your family are going to appreciate about holding a celebration of life ceremony for a loved one is that you can hold it almost anywhere you want. You can have a celebration of life ceremony at a funeral home, a restaurant, a park, or even your own backyard. You should brainstorm some different places to hold your loved one’s celebration of life ceremony and then select the one that you and your family like the best.Get creative when it comes to customizing your loved one’s celebration of life ceremony. There aren’t any set rules as far as what a celebration of life ceremony needs to look and feel like. You can make it a very formal affair if that’s what you think your loved one would have wanted. You can also have it be something that’s more on the casual side. Just make sure that you sprinkle things into it that your loved one would have liked. This might include everything from photos and videos of them to music that they liked to listen to throughout their life.Do whatever it takes to let people know your loved one’s celebration of life ceremony is happening. In the event that you choose to hold your loved one’s celebration of life ceremony weeks or even months after their cremation, it’ll be important for you to come up with a good way to let others know about it. In some cases, that might mean sending out physical invitations to the celebration of life ceremony in the mail. In others, it might mean using social media as a tool to inform people about the occasion. It’ll be up to you to decide which way you want to go about letting people know that your loved one’s celebration of life ceremony is happening.Is a celebration of life ceremony something that you want to hold for your loved one? A Meadowview, VA planning process for it. Give us a call for all your funeral needs.
Most of the funeral homes in Meadowview, VA, and other parts of the country will claim to be the “best.” But in order for a funeral home to truly be one of the best of the bunch, they need to have certain qualities that set them apart from the pack. When you’re looking for a funeral home to host a loved one’s funeral services, you should look out for these qualities, as they’ll let you know that you can trust a funeral home to do a great job. Let’s take a closer look at some of the things that set the best funeral homes apart from all the rest.They have a wealth of experience. The best funeral homes don’t become the best funeral homes overnight. They spend years and, in most cases, decades building up their experience levels so that they’re able to stand tall above all the other funeral homes out there offering Meadowview, VA funeral services. One of the first things that you should always ask a funeral home when you’re considering working with them is, “How much experience do you have?” It’ll be very telling and will let you know if they deserve to be considered.They have expertise when it comes to all kinds of funeral services. When funeral homes have spent years working within the funeral industry, they’re able to offer a wide range of funeral services to families. But more importantly, they’re able to offer expertise as far as these services are concerned. They don’t just dabble in these services. They know them inside and out and can assist your family with almost anything that you need to know about them. It’ll give you a sense of confidence when you utilize the services offered by a funeral home.They show compassion and understand the importance of grief counseling. From the second that you first set foot inside of a great funeral home, they’re going to go above and beyond to show you compassion. They’ll recognize that you’re in pain to some degree and will wrap their arms around you, both literally and figuratively, to ensure that you’re treated to the service that you deserve. They’ll also extend grief counseling services to you if you need them and help you come to terms with your loved one’s loss. It’ll put you in a much better position to make funeral arrangements for them.They aren’t out to charge families an arm and a leg for funeral services. All funeral homes are in the business of making money. They have to continue to bring in business to keep their funeral homes afloat. But the best funeral homes recognize that not all families are able to afford to spend thousands of dollars on funeral services for their loved ones. So they work hard to keep their funeral costs as low as they can get them. It makes their services more accessible to everyone, not just those with loads of money in the bank.When you visit Farris Funeral Service, Inc. – Main Street Chapel, it won’t take you long to see that we’re one of the best funeral arrangements for a loved one through us. Reach out to us to see what sets our funeral home apart from the crowd.
Has your family decided that you would like to bury a loved one’s remains following their upcoming cremation services in Bristol, TN as opposed to taking them home with you or scattering them someplace special? If so, there are going to be a handful of things that you’ll need to carry out a burial service for your loved one’s remains. It’ll be important for you to get your hands on them before you do anything else when it comes to burying a loved one’s remains. Find out about the things you’ll need to get below.Burial plot In order to bury a person’s cremated remains, you’re obviously going to need to have a burial plot ready for them. Most cemeteries these days can provide families with burial plots that are specifically designed to hold a person’s remains. You should see which cemeteries in your area can set you up with these kinds of plots. You should also search through your available options to see which cemeteries you like the most.Urn When you’re planning out a person’s Bristol, TN cremation, you don’t always have to invest in an urn for them. If you’re going to scatter their remains when everything is all said and done, you’re welcome to go with a simple cremation container for a person’s remains instead. But if you’re going to bury a person’s remains, you’ll need to place them into an urn before you can do it. You might want to go with something that’s on the simpler side since you’re going to be burying it anyway.Cremation vault Most cemeteries aren’t going to allow you to bury a person’s remains in an urn alone. That urn isn’t going to be able to handle the weight that you’ll put on top of it after burying it. The soil that sits on it and the lawn maintenance equipment that passes over it will eventually cause it to collapse in most cases. Because of this, cemeteries have started to ask families to invest in cremation vaults for cremated remains when burying them. These vaults are heavy-duty enough to withstand a whole lot of weight on top of them and will keep your loved one’s remains safe and sound for centuries to come.Marker Once you’ve buried your loved one’s remains in a cemetery, you’ll want to stick some kind of marker on top of their burial plot. This can be anything from a very simple marker with their name on it to something more advanced like a headstone. It’ll all depend on what kind of marker your family favors and what your funeral planning budget looks like. You should shop around for different markers to see what looks the best to you.Before you can start buying up everything you’ll need to bury a loved one’s remains, you’ll need to plan out their cremation services.
When families come together to make funeral arrangements for their loved ones at funeral homes in Bristol, TN, they’re often on edge. They’re dealing with a lot of grief at the time, and as a result, it’s not uncommon at all for them to get into disagreements with one another. If your family is preparing to go through the funeral planning process sometime soon, you should do your best to avoid having this happen to you. There are steps you can take to work together more effectively as a family. Take a look at them below.Begin by trying to make a lot of the big decisions that you’ll have to make at home. Are you going to bury your loved ones or cremate them? Are you going to hold a traditional funeral service for them or memorial service? Are you going to make the service open to the public or private? These are a few of the biggest decisions that your family will have to make when making Bristol, TN funeral arrangements for a loved one. And if possible, you should try to make them at home before arriving at a funeral home. It’ll put a steady foundation in place for your loved one’s funeral plans and avoid conflicts from popping up at a funeral home.Choose the right funeral home for your family. In addition to trying to make some of the bigger decisions regarding your loved one’s funeral arrangements at home before showing up at a funeral home, you should also take the time to pick out the right funeral home for your family. It should be a funeral home that you all agree on from the start so that there aren’t any issues that you have to overcome prior to arriving at the funeral home. You should look around at all your options and select the funeral home that your entire family likes the most.Send a small select group of family members to a funeral home to make funeral arrangements. If you have a relatively large family, the last thing that you want to do is bring every single family member along when you’re in the process of making funeral arrangements. You’ll inevitably run into problems if there are too many voices in the room at a funeral home. Instead, you should choose a small select group of family members to represent the whole group. It’ll make it easier for your family to make the important decisions associated with a loved one’s funeral plans.Take a step back when disagreements occur and assess the situation from a practical place. No matter how hard you try to avoid them, there are going to be some disagreements that pop up while you and your family are mapping out a loved one’s funeral plans. When they do, you should take a step back and try to assess them from a place of practicality rather than allowing your emotions to take over. This should make it possible for your family to avoid unnecessary arguments along the way.Want to make sure you and your family are able to plan out your loved one’s Bristol, TN Call us today to get started.
