Funeral Services Set for Slain Officer
Funeral Services Set for Slain Officer
Funeral services have been set for slain Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey
Read more on FOX News Chicago
How can I get my mother-in-law contact bereavement services without patronizing her?
Maybe you read m last question, I want to help her. We are in the UK and I would like her to have counselling, but I know she won’t accept it if I suggested it.
Does anyone know good services in the North-West?
Funeral services set for former Mayor Odell Poovey
Funeral services set for former Mayor Odell Poovey
Special to Henderson Daily News Funeral services for James Odell Poovey will be held 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 23, 2010, in the First Baptist Church sanctuary with Robert Hall officiating. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Monday at Rader Funeral Home. Burial will be in Lakewood Memorial Cemetery under the direction of Rader Funeral Home in Henderson.
Read more on Henderson Daily News
How to get a job in Funeral Services?
I have always been interested in getting a job in a funeral directors, for some reason it seems like a really attractive job (despite being based around death), however my research on how to get into the funerary services has come to a stump as nowhere seems to be able to advise me and no funeral directors seem to have a clear way of employing new people. If anyone knows how I could get a job in this area I would be most appreciative.
I cannot even find how to get a job as a secretary in a funeral directors. I can’t find a way in..
If it was that simple Neil I would have found something by now. Everywhere talks about the jobs, nowhere offers the jobs (in the uk anyway).
How Difficult Is It To Break Into The Funeral Services Industry?
I’ve heard that funeral homes are usually family owned/run and it’s hard to get a job in a funeral home or as a mortician if you’re not related to whomever runs it. Are there any respectable chain funeral homes that don’t necessarily work this way?
How Do Funeral Homes Market Their Services?
I’m a writer and I’d like to target funeral homes for my writing services, but I’m unclear as to their marketing efforts. I know that a funeral home is often associated with a particular cemetery, and receives referrals from people who’ve purchased plots in that cemetery. I also know that funeral homes do a great deal of Yellow Pages advertising, and likely have Web sites.
Are there any other types of marketing communications they do? Do they send out flyers or direct mail? Thanks very much.
RSPCA’s Home for Life
Many people worry about what will happen to their pets when they die. Now the RSPCA has launched Home for Life which is a free service where they will do all they can to find a new, loving home for your pet if you should die.
Too many cats and dogs are left homeless after their owners pass away. Now you can ensure they’re properly looked after should anything happen.
Click here to find out more or take a look at the questions which are frequently asked about Home for Life:
Q What happens when I die – how does the RSPCA find out?
Once you use our Home for Life service you should let your friends, family or neighbours know that you want the RSPCA to take in your animals in the event of your death. We also provide a wallet card, which can be kept with you at all times – it has a telephone number to call.
Q What happens when I die – what is the procedure?
As soon as we are informed that someone who has used Home for Life has died, our Legacy administration department will get in touch with your regional RSPCA office, who will collect your pet or pets as a matter of urgency. The animals will be taken to the nearest RSPCA Animal Centre, or other suitable accommodation, while we set about doing all we can to find them a loving new home. In addition, every animal coming into our care gets a health check. For most pets that includes vaccination, neutering and microchipping.
Q Can you rehome my animals together?
If you want your animals to be re-homed together, you should mention this in your Will. Although we cannot guarantee that this will be possible, we will do everything we can to honour your wishes. In every event, we will do what we feel is best for your pets. If trying to find a new owner for more than one animal together involved them spending longer than necessary in an Animal Centre, we would need to review the situation.
Q Do you vet new owners?
Usually, before anyone can adopt an animal from the RSPCA, we interview them. This way, there are no impulsive decisions and the RSPCA is certain the animal is going to the right home. In addition, a home visit may be required, and this is often followed up with a post-adoption check.
Q Are there any animals you won’t take (i.e. not just cats and dogs)?
The RSPCA is the largest animal welfare charity in the UK, and has facilities to take on most animals. Although spaces for larger animals such as horses may be limited, we do have some facilities for them. The only types of animal the RSPCA may have difficulty rehoming are fish or exotic animals. If you are thinking of using Home for Life for fish, exotic or large animals, please call Jo Curtis to discuss on 0300 123 0239.
Q What happens if my family offer to take the pet?
The RSPCA’s Home for Life service is to be used in the event that you have not made alternative provisions for your animal’s care, so if a family member or friend has offered to look after your animal that’s fine.
Q I have included this in my Will but not used your wording. Is that okay?
As long as your wishes are clearly stated in your Will and you have included our charity name and registered charity number this should not be a problem.
How to Give A Eulogy to Remember
Imagine a wedding where the wedding speeches are made by someone who has never met – or barely knows – the bride and groom.
Wouldn’t that be a shame?
And yet all too often, with a funeral, this is exactly the kind of thing that happens. And people sometimes regret it for years to come. “I wish I’d stood up and said something,” they say.
Of course, in a way it’s perfectly understandable. The time between a person’s passing and the funeral is naturally a sad and emotional one for those left behind. And because many people are at first daunted by the idea of delivering a eulogy, it’s all too easy to leave it to someone else.
And yet the reality is that it doesn’t have to be that way. As well as being a great honor, and an opportunity to do something good for everyone who will be there, giving the eulogy is almost guaranteed to be a positive and moving experience for the person who steps up for the task. And, with the right approach and support, it can actually be pretty straightforward. In all my years of experience, I have never met anyone who regretted giving a eulogy.
So if you’re at all considering it, take heart, be bold, and go ahead.
And here are the six steps you can follow to make the process easier and even more rewarding for you, for all your own special reasons.
Step 1 – Take A Moment for Yourself
At a time like this, it pays to take a little time for yourself, so you can reflect for a while and connect with your memories of this special person. Remind yourself of the very good reasons you are doing this, and also bear in mind the truth, which is that people who hear your speech will be extremely supportive, and will actually be grateful to you for doing it.
Step 2 – Decide What Kind of Eulogy
There are two kinds of eulogy – the short biography, and the personal view. You simply need to choose the right one for you.
The short biography considers someone’s life as a whole. That doesn’t mean it covers everything, rather that you start at the beginning – when and where they were born, etc. – and mention the various parts of their life, up until their last days. This way you touch on the different aspects of their life, plus it can also be a very personal approach, especially when you include happy stories and memories.
The personal view is more like a slice of the person’s life, a series of snapshots. It can be purely your own experiences, stories and impressions of their character, or you can include other people’s memories too. This is very poignant, especially if you write as if you are talking directly to the person who has gone, e.g. “I’ll always remember the time when you…”
Some funerals have both kinds of eulogy – a short biography from a family member, plus a personal view from a colleague or friend, for example.
Step 3 – Collect Your Building Blocks
What if you could imagine floating up in a balloon, and looking down on someone’s life as a sequence of photographs laid out below you?
This step is simply collecting those photos. You can rely on your own memories and knowledge, or ask others for their input. You might ask about their most precious memories, or things they remember that really show the person’s character. And you can also gather facts on the person’s childhood, family, career, pastimes, passions, dreams, best ever holidays, etc.
Bear in mind that humor is a good thing. Yes, funerals are sad, but this person also had happy and funny times in their life, and telling stories of these can be a great way to really bring their memory to life. And you’ll be giving people the healing gift of laughter.
Step 4 – Bring Your Building Blocks Together
Every eulogy has an opening, a middle and a closing.
For the opening you might simply welcome people and acknowledge the sadness of the day. For the closing you can sum up the person’s character, say how much they’ll be missed, thank those who have helped, and perhaps invite people back somewhere.
As for the middle, that’s where your building blocks come in. If you want to keep your speech to about five minutes, you may need to discard some of them – trust your own best judgement on this.
Step 5 – Rehearse and Refine
Once you’ve drafted out your speech, read it aloud a few times, because this way you’ll naturally notice improvements you can make.
You can also borrow a wonderful technique which Olympic athletes use to calm their nerves. What they do is, they make a movie of themselves running the race, with everything going well (see yourself giving the eulogy, with everything going well). And once they’re happy with the movie, they step inside and run it again, looking out through their own eyes, hearing through their own ears, and feeling how good it feels to have everything going well like this.
Muhammad Ali did this many times for every boxing match he ever had, which is one reason his predictions so often came true. And you can use the same approach to make sure you deliver this eulogy really well too.
Step 6 – Delivering the Eulogy
This is a time to make things easy for yourself. If you can, find out beforehand about the room layout, the lectern, the microphone, how many people will be there, etc. The more you know the more confident you will feel. Also, if you had any concern about being too emotional, ask someone to stand by as your back-up person for reading the eulogy, as this will again boost your confidence.
Then, for the day, print the eulogy out double spaced so that it’s easy for you to keep your place, take two copies of it just in case, and carry a small bottle of water so you can keep your mouth moist before and during your speech.
When you follow these six simple steps, you will be doing a great service in three ways:
1. To the special person who has gone, by honoring their memory
2. To the people who hear you, by giving them the gifts of sharing, of fondly remembering, and of healing
3. To yourself, by giving yourself the chance to do something special, to heal yourself at an even deeper level, and to know you have made a difference
And as you look at it like this, I wonder how easily you can now see what a wonderful thing it is to take the next steps, to give the eulogy, to share the memories and stories, and to bring some love and laughter at a time of sorrow and loss.
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Kevin Burch BSc MSc PGCE MPNLP is a Professional Funeral Presider and author of the eulogy guide ‘A Eulogy to Remember – How to give a great eulogy in six simple steps’, which presents a simple, six-step process for successfully delivering a eulogy and includes example eulogies, appropriate poems and quotes, and even some 30-minute fill-in-the-blanks templates which you can use if you are really short of time.
You can download Section One of ‘A Eulogy to Remember’ for free – and the complete guide at a discount – by clicking here.
© Empowering Publications, 2006
