Monthly Archives: August 2022

Announcing the Death

After a loved one passes away, there are many things that need to be taken care of. One of these things is writing the obituary. While directors of funeral homes in Rolling Prairie, IN. may help you in this task, there is certain information you will need to provide. Knowing what is involved in writing the obituary can help you be prepared when the time comes.

Announcing the Death

The obituary will start off by announcing the death of the deceased. Information that will be needed will include the deceased’s name, age, and the date of passing. You may also wish to add a brief description of your loved one here.

An example of this could look something like:

On Tuesday, December 4th, 2021, Mary Smith, living wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away at the age of 76.

Provie Biographical Information

Next, you will want to add in biographical information about your loved one. Since this needs to remain short, it is typical to just highlight any moments such as achievements, marriage information, education, and work history.

This could look something like:

Mary Smith was born in Tampa, FL. on August 17th, 1946, to Bob and Jane (Skiver). She attended Baylor University where she received her degree in Biology. She was married to David Chad Smith on June 4th, 1972, and raised two daughters, Stephanie and Suzy.

Provide Personal Information

After the biographical information, you want to make it personal. Adding in things like hobbies, passions, as well as their characteristics can help people know more about your loved one and their life.

Some things could be like:

Mary had a passion for crocheting and she could be found donating her crocheted baby hats to the local hospital NICU. She was known her kind heart, quick wit, and sense of humor.

Acknowledging Family Members

You want to end the personal section by listing out the names of any surviving family members. Remember that newspapers charge by the line so it is not necessary to list every single cousin or niece as these family members can be referred to generally.

An example of this could be:

Mary is survived by her husband David, their two daughters, Stephanie and Suzy, her sister Pat, as well as several nieces and nephews.

Service Details

The obituary will end with details about the funeral service. Information you will need to include is the date and time of service, as well as the location and information regarding donations and/or flowers.

This could looks something like:

A celebration of life service will be held Friday, Dec 19th, 2021, at the First Church on Main Street at 3 o’clock. Flowers or donations may be sent to 1234 Valley Street, Austin, TX.

Final Thoughts

While writing an obituary can seem daunting if you have not had to create one before, it is a wonderful opportunity to tell people all about your loved one. Just take it section by section and if you need help, directors of funeral homes in Rolling Prairie, IN are available. Give us a call anytime and let us know how we might best help you and have the talk of a lifetime.

Making a Memorial Garden Special With Upcycled Items

Many people decide to create tributes to their loved one after their cremation services in Michigan City, IN. One very popular choice is by creating a memorial garden. This is typically a garden that contains many of the deceased’s favorite flowers or plants, or a garden that is simply in honor of the loved one. If you are thinking about creating a memorial garden for your loved one and would like to make it extra special, why not upcycle some of their old items to add into the space?

If you haven’t heard of “upcycling”, it simply means taking an old item and transforming it into something new…giving it a new purpose. For example, you could take the fabric from an old t-shirt and make a new throw pillow from it. Using this idea, let’s look at some ways you can repurpose some of your loved one’s items and use them in their memorial garden.

Create Wind Chimes

Wind chimes are such a wonderful addition to any outside space. And making them from your loved one’s old items couldn’t be easier. You could use things like:

Old silverware
Their tools
Flowers pots
Tea cups
Bike gears
Keys
Wine bottle

The options are endless! To learn how to make the chimes simply do a YouTube search and you will find a number of DIY videos showing you exactly how to make them.

Turn Rugs Into Tapestries

Although you may not think of rugs in a garden, they can be a beautiful addition to a wall or fence when used as a tapestry decoration. Using one of your loved one’s rugs in this way can really set the whole look and feel of the space and make it very personal to their style.

Make Throw Pillows

If you have chairs or a seating area in the garden, why not create some throw pillows using your loved one’s old clothes? You could use t-shirts, or fabric from other items such as jeans or dresses. There are many online tutorials that show options to make these pillow by sewing them as well as gluing or folding them in case you don’t know how to sew.

Create a Garden Planter

Creating a planter from your loved one’s old items is a lovely way to incorporate their items into the space. One way to do this is using their old bicycle. By following online instructions, you can transform this bicycle into a planter. You can also make a planter out of their old furniture such as their nightstand or dresser.

Final Thoughts

With upcycling being such a big trend right now, you can find a video on how to turn just about anything into something else. While we covered some ideas, this is by no means, anywhere close to all of them. Simply preform a search for “upcycle items for garden” or something similar and you will see pages of ideas and tutorials.

Using your loved one’s old items in this way will add that special extra touch to their memorial garden after their cremation services in Michigan City, IN, see our merchandise. We are here to care.

How to Care For Your Loved One’s Gravesite

Properly maintaining your loved one’s gravesite after they have passed is a way to not only keep the gravesite tidy, but also express the love and care you still feel for them. Keeping their gravesite looking nice doesn’t require a lot of effort, but it does require attention to a few key elements. Directors of funeral homes in Michigan City, IN. share what these elements are.

Trash and Debris

Trash and debris can build up over your loved one’s gravesite very easily. There may be trash that has been carried there by the wind or floated in from a heavy rain. Also, other guests may leave trash lying around. In any case, take a trash bag and clear away ay trash on and around the gravesite.

Also look for, and clear away, any debris such as twigs or broken limbs, rocks, or other natural elements that to be removed.

Plants and Flowers

After all of the trash and debris is cleared away, you then want to turn your attention to any plants and /or flowers around the gravesite. If there are any weeds than need to be pulled, do so. If flowers need pruning or deadheading, make sure to do that as well.Also, look for any flowers that you might have left last time you visited. If it has been a while, are the flowers wilted? Often times the cemetery will take care of this, but if they missed it make sure to remove any old flowers.

Clean the Headstone

Once the grounds around the gravesite are cleaned, you will need to clean the headstone. Depending on what material it is made from, you will use different cleaning solution. For example, you may not use the same cleaning solution on a marble headstone as one made from limestone. To know which solution you should use, check with your headstone provider.Once you know what cleaning solution to use, the process is the same for all headstone materials. You will soak the headstone first with water. You can do this with a water hose, spray bottle, or bucket. Then, taking a soft bristled brush and the cleaning solution, you will give the headstone a good scrubbing. Finally, rinse the headstone with clean water to rinse away all of the cleaning solution.

Look For Damage

Before you leave the gravesite, take a few minutes and inspect it. Look at the headstone. Are there any cracks? Fading? Chips? See if any repairs need to be made and if so be sure to call the professionals to have those taken care of. Next, turn your attention to the grave itself. Are there any signs of collapsing or the ground shifting? If so, make sure you contact the cemetery and let them know.

Final Thoughts

Maintaining and cleaning your loved one’s gravesite is a loving act that honors them. While the cemetery may take care of some of the general upkeep, nobody can give your loved one that special care as you can. If you would like more information on general upkeep of a gravesite or services provided by funeral homes Michigan City, IN., we are here to help including privacy policy. Feel free to give us a call anytime.

Locations for Your Loved One’s Ashes

After a loved one’s cremation services in South Bend, IN. deciding on their final resting spot can be challenging. While you may want to keep the remains in an urn close to you in your home, there are times when this may not be the best option.

For example, if you have other family members who wish to visit the remains, if can be inconvenient for you as well as them trying to arrange times and dates that will work. Because of this, having the remains in a general location where everyone has access to them freely can be important to many families. Luckily, there are wonderful options that allow for this.

Columbarium

One place to keep your loved one’s remains is in a columbarium. These are structures that are either stand alone or part of another building and can be found in churches, cremation gardens, as well as cemeteries.

A columbarium is made up of induvial spaces called “niches”. These individual niches is what will house the urn with your loved one’s remains. Some niches include a small plaque or other marker that can be engraved with your loved one’s name as well as a short poem or epitaph.

There are also glass front niches that typically don’t have a marker, but allow the contents of the niche to be viewed. This is nice because it can allow families to add small mementos or photos to be on display with the urn.

Keeping your loved one’s remains in a columbarium has many benefits, one being that it provides a general location any and all family members can visit. It also provides a peaceful spot for reflection as many columbariums are in settings with flowers, sitting areas, water features and more.

Burial Plot

Another option for families is to bury their loved one’s remains. This is the same as a casket burial expect the space is specific for an urn. These burial plots can be found in cemeteries and many cremation gardens.

An advantage to this that many families enjoy is that it gives the opportunity for your loved one to have a headstone or maker rather then just a plaque as with a columbarium. With headstones being available in so many materials, colors, and designs, families can choose a perfect memorial meals for their loved one.

Scattering Garden

If your loved one wished to have their remains scattered, a scattering garden can be a wonderful option. These gardens can be found as part of larger cremation gardens or by themselves. These gardens are created with the sole purpose of allowing families to release their loved one’s ashes upon it. They typically contain the garden areas as well as benches and other areas to sit and reflect.

While some families would like to keep their loved one’s remains close to them in their home, there are some situations where that may not be the best option. If you would like to learn more about these options or cremation services in South Bend, IN. feel free to contact us anytime as we are always here to help that’s why our customer choose us.