Service Options
Planning a funeral service can be a very difficult process for families who have just lost a loved one. But it’s important to provide those who are grieving with a supportive environment in which they can begin to find closure, say goodbye, and come to terms with the loss. Gathering with friends and family gives everyone the opportunity to connect, share memories, offer words of sympathy, and create a lasting network of comfort and support as they start the journey toward healing.
A funeral represents a purposeful opportunity to reflect on the meaning of a life that has been lived and to determine the impact of that meaning for the family and friends. There is no single proper funeral service. It is a time for human sharing in its deepest sense. You and the ones you love are at the very center of the process, and the choices you make will determine its significance for you. As you participate in the planning of the funeral service, you help create a meaningful experience for everyone. The staff at Bruce C. VanArsdale Funeral Home is here to offer a meaningful ceremony, regardless if you choose burial or cremation.
Funeral Service
It is the goal of Bruce C. VanArsdale Funeral Home to help people complete the relationship with the one who has died and to provide a climate that encourages each person to give and receive emotional support. During the funeral service, family and friends have the opportunity to relate to each other at the deepest levels and find mutual strength. A Complete Funeral Service includes a family or public viewing of the deceased. Following this will be a service, typically in a church or at our funeral home. Then the burial would take place at a cemetery. A funeral service is a special time to comfort one another, begin to find healing and celebrate a life well lived.
Graveside Service
The Graveside Service is when the casketed remains will be transferred to the cemetery and a graveside ceremony will take place prior to the burial. Some families will forgo a church service and do all the services directly at the cemetery. A graveside service can take place directly at the gravesite or at the above ground mausoleum. It can be a private ceremony for just family members or it can be open to the public. Graveside services are typically shorter than a funeral service.
Cremation Service
The Cremation Service is another type of selected offering. The number of people choosing cremation has increased significantly in the past few years, yet cremation carries a long tradition and remains largely unchanged. Cremation simply expedites the process of reducing a body to bone fragments through application of intense heat. What is done before or after the cremation is up to the survivors, or up to you. This service will be just like a Funeral Service except cremation will follow instead of the casketed burial. This can be accommodated by the use of a cremation casket or even a rental casket may be used. Following the viewing, service or ceremony, and eventual cremation, the cremated remains can be buried, placed in a niche, properly scattered, or returned to the family for safe-keeping.
Memorial Service
A Memorial Service is one where the body is not present, but just like a funeral service, it is also a time to remember your loved one. Memorial services can be a week after death or even months later, with or without an urn present. Memorial services typically take place in our funeral home or at a church or place of worship. A memorial service is a time for family and friends to gather together, share memories and pay their respects.
Direct Cremation Service
The Direct Cremation Service can be arranged as an immediate disposition of the body and there is no viewing of your loved one. Families typically choose to have a memorial service after the direct cremation service. This option can be more flexible in regards to where and when the service is held.
For more information about our Professional Services, please contact us by e-mail or call at (908) 725-3111. We're here to help.