By Andrew Hoffman
In my last few columns, I explained several benefits of holding a funeral service. One I would like to highlight this week is how the
funeral services provide a social support system for friends and family and allows for the acknowledgement of the loss within the community. I have had families come into the funeral home and they say to me I don’t want a service because I can’t handle hearing “I’m sorry for you loss” over and over again. To which I usually respond “, I understand but you may want to consider you will be doing that anyway but just over a longer period of time and in numerous places. When you have a service you normally have an announcement (obituary) notifying the community about the death but also announcing the service in the obituary. This gives set hours as to when people can come to express their condolences at the funeral home, church or any other venue. If you don’t have services you will be at the dry cleaners and someone asks “how is your husband, I heard he was ill” and you have to explain he died and you take that persons condolences. Then you are at the super market and the same thing happens and you take that persons condolences, you’re out to eat and it happens again and you take that persons condolences, and again. The point I am making is that the funeral service helps to reduce and maybe even elimate these situations because you are giving the community an opportunity to express their concern and support at a designated place and time.
Andrew B. Hoffman is a funeral director at Jeffries and Keates and Keates-Plum Funeral Homes. He is a twenty-two year veteran of the funeral industry.
