• Write a letter to the person who has died and express all of the feelings you ever wanted to say and place it in the casket.
• Bring in the favorite song of the person who has died and have funeral director play it during the visitation and/or funeral service.
• Bring photographs to the funeral director to be used on a “memory board” for the visitation and funeral service.
• If your loved one had a hobby, bring some of their works in to be displayed at the funeral home. For example your funeral director could take quilt work and drape it over the casket.
• If you or your loved one have favorite scripture readings, let your funeral director know and they will see to it that they are incorporated into the service.
• If your loved one composed poetry or essays, we can reproduce several copies so that people might take these with them from the funeral home. They could also be recited as a part of the services.
• If the person who died was not a regular churchgoer, consider a memorial service in a favorite place that perhaps reflected their lifestyle; like a park, the marina or even a basketball court.
• Eulogize the person who has died during the funeral or visitation. Oftentimes the clergy person did not know the person who has died. Who better can do that than someone who better knew the person who died.
• Place cherished items in the casket like pictures of the grandchildren and other family members, a photo of the family pet, a favorite golf club, a pool stick, a well worn baseball cap, or a religious item.
• In processing to the cemetery, consider a favorite place your loved one liked to go, like their favorite park, or the beach, or even a favorite restaurant.

There are many more ideas your Cashner Funeral Director could share with you. Or, discuss any special ideas you might have with him or her. They are professional, caring and experienced.

Options for Final Disposition
Perhaps no other moment in the funeral experience is as powerful as the final disposition. For survivors, this is a strong symbolic moment – confirmation that they must let go of the person who died and look ahead to changed lives.

For this reason, it is important that families choose the kind of final disposition most meaningful to them and most appropriate for the deceased.

Earth burial, otherwise known as interment, is the most common form of disposition in the United States. Americans seem to prefer the idea of a final resting place and a cemetery gravesite where they can go to remember the person who died.

Cemeteries may be owned by municipalities, churches, religious groups or other private organizations, and may have requirements about the type of outer burial container that may be necessary. Some place restrictions on types of markers or monuments. Veterans may be eligible for burial in state or national government cemeteries. Your Cashner Funeral Director can answer your questions about local cemetery requirements and practices.

If you are a veteran, you are entitled to free burial and a grave marker in a national cemetery. Your spouse and dependent children are also entitled to a plot and grave marker if they are buried in a national cemetery. You can find out more about services for veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The rites and ceremonies of funeralization, including embalming and visitation, often accompany cremation. Final disposition options after cremation includes earth burial, entombment or scattering. Some families choose to keep the cremated remains in an urn or other appropriate container. Some may choose cremation and disposition of the body with no attendant rites or ceremonies.

A Final Note
During the first few days after a death, family and friends surround you. You are busy planning the funeral and may not have time to think about yourself until later when you are alone with your grief. After you have planned the funeral, take care of yourself.

You can expect to experience a wide range of emotions. Grieving is hard work, and you may feel tired and lethargic without understanding why. Lighten your schedule if you can, eat healthy foods, and exercise to renew your energy. Take time to be alone with your thoughts, but also spend time talking to close family and friends about your loss. You need to express your emotions. Ask your Cashner Funeral Director about aftercare services to support your needs during this time.