Preparing for and completing a memorable funeral; Here’s what you need to know.

 
Why do funeral arrangements often go unplanned?
As human beings, we have a natural bias toward staying alive. Not wanting to think of the passing of ourselves and our closest loved ones is entirely natural and understandable. Having a positive and forward-looking approach to life is good, but there is one potential trap that many people fall into; We don’t want to think or talk about dying, so we put off planning for final arrangements. The routinely frantic pace of life certainly favors procrastination.
At Green Hills Memorial Park we often meet very successful people who have thoughtfully planned for every critical facet of their lives, except end of life arrangements. When parents fail to complete their wishes before passing, their children are forced to make important decisions when they are the least emotionally and mentally equipped to do so. Planning under these conditions often leads to second guessing if this was what your loved one wanted. It doesn’t have to be this way.
While we can’t change human nature, we can help people to not fall into the procrastination trap. Knowledge equals confidence and power, so we hope this article helps to demystify the funeral process and give families the courage to move forward and complete final preparations. From a high level, here are the five elements which go into planning the funeral process.
 
The Five Planning Elements of a Life Celebrated Perfectly
 
Vital Information
We collect, organize, and record all information needed at the time of passing, which includes Personal, Estate, Financial, and Medical information. Gathering this information now simplifies the myriad of details necessary to settle final affairs while removing stress and guesswork from the process. Together, we’ll use our Advance Planning Guide to record this information.
Communications
Often the enormity of the job of communications is not realized until the call list is built. Building this list ahead of time prevents the regret of not informing someone who is close to the deceased or who wanted to attend the service. After the communications list is complete, only one phone call by the family is necessary to put the full funeral plan in motion.
The Funeral Service
While a funeral is a time of mourning, it can still include time for remembrance and celebration. Creating a meaningful experience is all about uniquely reflecting the life, values, relationships, and ideals of the person who has died. The beauty of personalization is that there’s no right or wrong format. Much like a wedding, every area of a funeral ceremony can be as unique as the life remembered and celebrated. A service which captures the essence of the deceased helps family and friends to grieve and begin the healing process. Our Advanced Planning Advisors have combined decades of experience assisting families to create authentic personalized funeral services.
Cemetery Preparations
Most of us are not ready to say goodbye forever, and grief is a very personal experience. A permanent resting place that is accessible to friends and individual family members offers an opportunity to feel physically close to our departed loved ones. Cremation makes individual tribute expressions possible through outdoor, shoreline, or at-sea scattering options. When guiding families to final resting place decisions, we focus on celebrating the life of the departed now while creating a permanent resting place where the family can honor and remember their loved one in perpetuity.
Eulogy and Memorial
Everyone deserves a meaningful obituary written in his or her memory. It is here that you may list the achievements and accomplishments that have been of pride to you and your loved ones that you would like shared in the eulogy.
Capturing, communicating, and celebrating the life essence of a unique individual is vital for creating a healing experience.
 
When the time of need arrives
When your loved one has passed, there is an order of events which take place to allow for the planning of memorial services. This order of events is initiated by one phone call to Green Hills Memorial Park from the next of kin or other family members. Once connected to a Family Service Advisor, you would simply provide the purchase agreement number listed on the ID card that was previously provided to you and your loved one.  The ID card provides immediate access to all of the cemetery arrangements your loved one has already chosen. We are then able to research and obtain all necessary information. It’s a simple process that will expedite every aspect of the planned wishes:

• We retain basic information from you in regards to your loved one.
• An appointment is scheduled that is convenient for you and your family.
• You will be working with our cemetery advisors as well as a mortuary of your choosing during the course of the planning process. Many of our families use Green Hills Mortuary to assist in designing a memorable celebration of life, or you may choose an outside mortuary.
• On the day of your appointment, you will be greeted in the lobby by our Hospitality Staff and escorted to one of our arrangement suites. Green Hills Memorial Park will work together and coordinate the services with your mortuary to ensure a seamless, well-orchestrated celebration of life for your loved one.
• The date and time of the memorial service will be scheduled. Throughout our initial arrangement conference, we will focus on taking care of only the details necessary to facilitate the upcoming service and for your personal well-being. We will set an arrangement continuation to complete other details which are important but don’t need to be finalized prior to the service.
• We will remain with you throughout the entire process as well as be present during the Life Celebration service.

We hope this information has brought you to a greater understanding of the memorial planning process. It is our sincere hope that all families will complete their final preparations planning before their time of need arrives. Advanced planning brings peace of mind to all families – allow us to assist in taking the first step. Request your Advance Planning Guide today!