Tell The Story Of A Lifetime

The story of your life echoes the story of your generation – a generation that shaped and changed our world like no other. You challenged the status quo and by doing so, have changed the way we think about life’s milestones, and redefined the dynamics of family, career, and social involvement. It’s your generation that is changing the way we think about funerals.

We understand your need to express your individuality. That’s why our custom funeral planning program was designed to help you turn your tribute into a meaningful expression of your life and passions. Because no two lives are the same, we work with families to sculpt deeply personal, completely unique memorials that truly capture the life that was lived.

Click on the links below to learn more about unique ways others have put their own stamp on a permanent memory.

It’s the story of your life… tell it your own way.

Gathering

Traditionally, funerals have been held in a place of worship or funeral chapel. Here, family and friends come together to remember, offer support, and find strength among friends. Today, however, many families are choosing to hold their services in places that hold special meaning to them and their loved ones. Maybe it’s your favorite fishing hole, the place where you first met, your favorite restaurant, or the church where your grandparents married. Bringing loved ones together to commemorate your life in a place that was especially meaningful provides more than a setting for your service – it provides loved ones with an emotional backdrop to celebrate the things that made your life unique. From a traditional chapel setting to a not-so-traditional locale, the choice is yours. Such a tribute can be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. And, it can be held at the time and place of your choosing. Most importantly, it should be a reflection of the life that was lived. Let us help you explore the many options available so you can have a truly personal tribute. To learn more, or to speak with a counselor regarding telling the story of your lifetime, please call us today.

Remembering

Loved ones, friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, classmates – your life has touched so many people – people who will want to gather and remember you. But how do you want them to remember you? A funeral provides more than just an opportunity for loved ones to honor your life; it also provides them with the chance to be actively involved in celebrating your life. No matter how or where you choose to be remembered, think about those people who have made a difference in your life, those who have changed your life for the better, and those who have inspired you to do great things. How can you involve these special people to make your service truly unique? Maybe it’s a musical solo, a special reading, or kind words shared with the audience. Enlisting those who have made a difference in our lives is just one more way you can make your service truly unique. Please call us today to find out how we can help those you hold dear remember and celebrate you.

Tributes

How do you want to be remembered?

Loved ones, friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, classmates – your life has touched so many people – people who will want to gather and remember you. But how do you want them to remember you? A funeral provides more than just an opportunity for loved ones to honor your life; it also provides them with the chance to be actively involved in celebrating your life. No matter how or where you choose to be remembered, think about those people who have made a difference in your life, those who have changed your life for the better, and those who have inspired you to do great things. How can you involve these special people to make your service truly unique? Maybe it’s a musical solo, a special reading, or kind words shared with the audience. Enlisting those who have made a difference in our lives is just one more way you can make your service truly unique.

Remembering through music.

A certain song can evoke vivid memories and warm emotions. A song can transport you back to a specific place in time – bringing back memories of what you were doing when you first heard it, who you were with, and how you felt at that moment. Music holds a significant place in most people’s lives as it stirs emotions, images, memories and feelings unlike anything else can. Music is an ever-changing soundtrack to the story of our lives. That’s why music has always played a significant role in memorial services – often as a reminder of a time in life, of people, places and special or life-changing moments. As you think about what music has meant to you, think about how you wish to be remembered through music. Whether it’s your favorite songs played as a recording or perhaps performed by a vocalist, choir, or orchestra, we’ll make sure that guests at your tribute experience the music of your life while remembering you. Music is a remarkable and lasting gift you can leave to loved ones. No matter your musical preference, we can help you plan a meaningful, one-of-a-kind tribute to help honor a life well-lived. Call us today to start planning your own unique, melodic tribute.

Remembering through tastes and smells.

Many of life’s celebrations, both the ordinary and the extraordinary, center around food because there is a special bond and comfort that comes from sharing a meal. Many times, it’s the food of our childhood that brings back memories of love and comfort, like the smell of grandma’s warm chocolate cake that she baked every year for your birthday. As we grow older, it is the food we share that marks special occasions with flavors and aromas that evoke such happy memories. We remember the taste of butter-cream icing in that first bite of our wedding cake, the Chinese take-out we ate the first night we slept in our new house, and the smell of charred turkey from our first Thanksgiving together. So often, it is the addition of food that makes an event a celebration. In most cultures, offering food to guests is at the heart of traditional hospitality. Just as with other milestone occasions, food plays an important part in a memorial celebration. Having special foods as part of a tribute to honor a life brings so much comfort and warmth to those who share it. That’s why many of our funeral homes provide reception facilities on-site where families and friends can gather and remember through the sharing of a special meal. To learn more about our reception facilities, and how we can make food an integral part of your celebration, please call us today.

Making the memories last.

Maybe it’s a story of porch-swing evenings or fishing trip antics or favorite places and grandmotherly hugs. Each of us has a special story. A story filled with unique places, experiences, and most of all, people – people who have shared our laughter and our tears, our trials and our triumphs. Capturing and securing these memories for future generations is the most important thing we can do to secure our legacy. How do you want future generations to know and remember you? Our Enduring Memories® program lets loved ones capture the moments you held dear, and hear the stories they haven’t heard. Incorporating personal photos and video messages of family members and friends, Enduring Memories® tributes are priceless treasures that will be appreciated for generations to come. The Enduring Memories® program is an especially important way we help families celebrate lives well-lived. Not only does it give families a chance to create personalized tributes that last for generations, these tributes are a meaningful and moving bridge that links future generations. If you are interested in learning more about this unique offering, please call us today.

For our Future Generations.

Family plays such an important role in each of our lives. Down through the centuries, the importance of family unity, even after death, has shaped funeral customs in all faiths and cultures. The pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal, and many other wonders of the world were, in fact, commissioned as monuments to a special life lived. Whether your preference is burial or cremation, there is no better way to express the high value you place on family heritage, tradition and closeness than to make a cemetery property selection as a family. When you plan together, you do more than merely select a final resting place, you designate a place for future generations to gather and remember. Whether you choose a family estate, mausoleum, columbarium or cremation garden, the type of property you choose is one more reflection of the way you wish to be remembered. Once you have selected your property, we can help you explore the tremendous range of memorialization options that will complement your choice and complete your legacy to your family and its history. No matter what your preference, cremation or burial, it is our commitment to meet and exceed the needs of every family we serve by making each service a meaningful experience. To begin building your own family heritage, call us today to speak with a counselor.

Keepsakes

Just as a picture is worth a thousand words, a simple object can trigger a thousand memories. That’s why many people ask us to help them create a special keepsake for friends and family to take with them as a memento. Like your service, the keepsake you select should be a reflection of the way you wish to be remembered. Sometimes elegant or artistic…sometimes whimsical, keepsakes are always treasured because they are a lasting reminder of your life. Establishing an endowment or charitable cause is also a wonderful choice for those that want to be remembered through good works done in their name. There are so many ways to choose to be remembered. Call us and let us help you choose a one-of-a-kind keepsake to create a legacy that reflects the life you’ve lived.

Make your wishes known.

Now that you’ve begun to think about the way you’d like to tell the story of your lifetime, it’s important to share your wishes with your family. To help you get started, we’ve created a valuable planning and organizing website – www.SimplicityPlan.com. SimplicityPlan.com is a comprehensive personal planning site that gives you a single, permanent and secure location to document and save your final wishes where they won’t be lost or damaged…all from the comfort and privacy of your own home. With SimplicityPlan.com, your loved ones won’t have to search for critical documents when they are struggling to cope with grief and loss.

Why leave your family at risk for unnecessary heartache when it’s so easy to get the peace of mind they deserve through SimplicityPlan.com? It’s our gift to you – it’s your priceless gift to your family.