Personalized Funeral Services
Every life is unique, and a funeral service should reflect the person being remembered. At McComas Family Funeral Homes, one of our most important responsibilities is helping families create a meaningful final tribute that honors their loved one’s life while providing family and friends an opportunity to gather, remember, and say goodbye.
Funeral services do not have to follow a single format. A family may choose a traditional funeral with a visitation or viewing followed by a funeral ceremony and burial, or they may prefer a more personalized memorial service or celebration of life. Services can incorporate favorite music, photographs, videos, personal belongings, hobbies, military honors, religious or cultural traditions, and other meaningful details that tell the story of a life.
Every life is unique, and a funeral service should reflect the person being remembered. At McComas Family Funeral Homes, one of our most important responsibilities is helping families create a meaningful final tribute that honors their loved one’s life while providing family and friends an opportunity to gather, remember, and say goodbye.
Funeral services do not have to follow a single format. A family may choose a traditional funeral with a visitation or viewing followed by a funeral ceremony and burial, or they may prefer a more personalized memorial service or celebration of life. Services can incorporate favorite music, photographs, videos, personal belongings, hobbies, military honors, religious or cultural traditions, and other meaningful details that tell the story of a life.
Why Have a Funeral Anyway?
The question we ask ourselves is why have a funeral for our loved one anyway? What is the value in having a service to commemorate a life? Howard McComas IV answers those questions and more in the video above.
What is a Funeral?
A funeral is a meaningful ceremony that brings family and friends together to honor, remember, and celebrate the life of someone who has died. While many people have a traditional picture in mind when they hear the word “funeral,” there is no single way a funeral service has to look or feel.
Funeral traditions can be influenced by a family’s personal preferences, faith, culture, traditions, and the wishes of the person who died. Some families prefer a traditional funeral with a viewing or visitation, religious ceremony, and burial. Others choose a more personalized funeral, graveside service, memorial service, or celebration of life.
At McComas Family Funeral Homes, we help families understand the different funeral service options available and create a ceremony that feels meaningful and appropriate. Our funeral directors will guide you through each decision and help incorporate the people, memories, traditions, music, photographs, readings, and personal touches that best tell your loved one’s story.
What Happens During a Funeral Service?
A funeral service provides an opportunity to acknowledge a death, honor the life that was lived, and allow family and friends to support one another. Depending on your family's wishes, a funeral may include a visitation or viewing, formal or informal ceremony, religious or spiritual elements, eulogies, music, photographs, video tributes, military honors, procession, burial, and a gathering or catered reception afterward.
No two funeral services need to be exactly alike. Our team can help you create a traditional service or develop something completely personalized around your loved one’s personality, interests, accomplishments, beliefs, and relationships.
Common Funeral Service Options Include:
Visitation, Viewing or Wake: A visitation gives family members, friends, coworkers, and members of the community an opportunity to gather, offer condolences, share memories, and support the family. When a viewing is selected, guests may also have an opportunity to pay their respects to the deceased. Visitations may be held before the funeral ceremony or at another time selected by the family.
Funeral Ceremony: The funeral ceremony may be held at the funeral home, a church or place of worship, a cemetery, or another meaningful location. Depending on your family’s wishes, the service may include music, prayers, scripture or other readings, a eulogy, personal reflections, photographs, video tributes, or other special elements that reflect your loved one’s life.
Following the funeral service, your family may choose traditional burial or cremation as the final disposition. Choosing cremation services as disposition does not mean giving up the opportunity to have a traditional funeral, visitation, or meaningful ceremony beforehand. Whether you prefer burial or cremation, our funeral directors will help you understand your options and create arrangements that honor your loved one while reflecting your family’s wishes, traditions, and beliefs.
Graveside or Committal Service: When burial is selected, family and friends may travel in procession to the cemetery for a graveside or committal service. This ceremony provides another opportunity to say goodbye before the burial takes place.
Funeral Reception or Gathering: Many families choose to gather following the funeral or burial. A reception or repast provides a more informal setting where family and friends can spend time together, share stories, look at photographs, enjoy a meal, and remember the person who has died.
Why Are Funeral Services Important?
Funerals serve two important purposes: they provide a meaningful way to honor the life of the person who died and create an opportunity for those left behind to begin acknowledging their loss together.
A funeral can celebrate accomplishments, relationships, passions, traditions, and the small details that made someone unique. Just as importantly, it brings family and friends together at a time when connection and support can be especially meaningful.
Whether your family prefers a traditional funeral, a simple ceremony, a religious service, a graveside service, or a highly personalized celebration of life, McComas Family Funeral Homes will help you create a tribute that reflects the life, values, and wishes of your loved one.
