A Funeral Director’s Supporting Role in Funeral Home and Cremations in Wayne, PA

As the name implies, the funeral director oversees any funerary service. But the role of a licensed funeral director is not limited to managing this event. The funeral director is involved in every aspect of death care for funeral home and cremations in Wayne, PA. Their job to care for the deceased, support the bereaved, and handle all the little details is enormous. Did you know?

The funeral director arranges things like:

• Coming to pick up the remains and transfer them into the care of the funeral home-- no matter the time of day or night that the call comes.
• Making heart-wrenching phone calls to close family or employers to inform them of the death.
• Filing for certified death certificates, permits, and other pertinent paperwork.
• Coordinating the filing of claims with insurance, social security, or veteran’s affairs agents.
• Spending all the time necessary to learn about the departed individual and working with their family to create a fitting obituary and submitting that for publication.
• Personally overseeing and performing delicate procedures such as embalming, cremation, and all preparations for viewing and/or final burial (clothing, hair, and makeup as needed).
• Being a personal shopping guide as the family chooses merchandise such as a casket or decorative urn.
• Holding arrangement conferences with the next of kin so that the plans for the funeral, cremation, memorial, or other services can be finalized to the last detail.
• Ordering the funeral flowers and arranging for their delivery and transport to the appropriate locations.
• Keeping a close eye on the grieving family throughout this acute period of loss. Connecting the bereaved with appropriate and applicable grief support resources in a timely way.

It is estimated that there are as many as 70+ decisions that need to be evaluated and made throughout the death care process in just the first few days. You can see how a competent funeral director can help to simplify and streamline this process for you and your family in a vulnerable time.

Honoring Your Loved One With Funeral Home and Cremations in Wayne, PA

It is essential to find a framework for the honoring service that will be best for your circumstances. Though it is not required to hold an end-of-life remembrance service, grief counselors highly recommend it across the board. Let's take a look at a few of the different types of services for funeral home and cremations in Wayne, PA.

A Full Traditional Service or Full Funeral Service: This type of service is most well known and often a great fit with its familiarity. Funerals can help to bring a bit of closure. Research points to the benefits of holding a funeral to help the grieving begin to accept the reality of their loss. Full traditional services often include a public viewing or at least a visitation event where family and friends can receive support and condolences from each other. It can help immensely to feel that one had a chance to say a last goodbye before the final disposition.

The Memorial Service: Similar to a funeral, memorials serve as an event to pause, reflect, remember and celebrate the life of your departed loved one. However, there are times when it doesn’t make sense to hold a funeral immediately. In cases like this, a memorial is a perfect alternative. Even if immediate burial or cremation has been chosen, you can still honor your loved one well with a memorial service.

Burial or Graveside Service Options: It is also possible to have a simple service at the graveside before burial occurs. Though this is often a small, intimate affair, the guest list can be more inclusive if desired.

Full Cremation Service: Cremation can be ordered as a stand-alone service without any public services offered. However, if a public service such as a funeral or memorial is held and cremation is performed, we call that a full cremation service. Cremation has become more widely available and has grown in popularity over the last several decades. There are many consumer protections in place with this service option. Cremation can make a variety of final dispositions possible. The cremated remains could be scattered, buried, or kept close in an urn. Reach Out Today and Choose a High-Quality Funeral Home

As you find yourself in the position of needing to retain the services of a funeral home, there are a few things to consider. You will want to work with an establishment that has the benefit of real-world experience. Donohue Funeral Home has roots in the business dating back more than 120 years. Over those many decades, we have learned just what to do to help the families we serve. We want you to be well cared for through the experience of loss. Our directors invite you to reach out for an appointment or tour of our facilities for funeral home and cremations in Wayne, PA.