Funeral Services: Celebrating Life’s Journey

A funeral service is a ritual conducted after the passing of an individual that allows their friends and family to say goodbye to them in a formalized manner. In today’s blog we will be looking at funeral services and how they can celebrate life’s journey.

Why choose to have a Funeral Service?

Funerals and Celebrations of Life offer the loved ones of the deceased a chance to formally say goodbye. It is a safe place to share your pain with others and lean on them for support.  It is a place to celebrate a life well lived and reflect on the memories of time spent with them.

Funeral services can be religious or secular, with the ceremony being led by clergy or other officiants. Some of the most common ways to celebrate the life journey of the deceased is to include music that meant something to them, a slideshow of their life, or have friends and family share stories about the deceased.

Funeral Service vs. Celebration of Life

Typically, the body of the deceased is present at a funeral service giving visitors the opportunity to say a final farewell. Cremation or burial happens afterwards.

A Celebration of Life, also referred to as a Memorial Service, usually takes place after the burial or cremation has already occurred. Usually, the urn is present at the service but doesn’t have to be.

Direct Cremation

For those who don’t want either, many funeral providers offer what is called a Direct Cremation. With a direct cremation, the funeral home completes the cremation and provides the ashes to the family. The family may then hold a private celebration in their home or at a restaurant, without any involvement of funeral home staff.

We hope we have been able to give you some insight into the variety of funeral services available when someone you love passes away.

Maple Ridge Funeral Chapel is conveniently located at the midway point between Port Moody and Mission. We have the only Crematorium in the area which means once your loved one is brought to us, they stay with us. Other Funeral Providers have to transport your loved one to other places, commonly Squamish, Vancouver Island, or Bellingham to complete the cremation.   If you have any questions about this blog article, please feel free to call us at (604) 463-8121.