Traditional

What Kind of Service Do I Want?

How you choose to honor a loved one is a personal decision.  The type of service chosen will vary for each family, but one thing remains the same—it provides a time and place to remember and talk about the life and death of a loved one, and it is the first step in the emotional healing process.  It is wise to choose a funeral service that will best meet the needs of everyone in your family, remembering the services you choose serve as the statement your family makes to the community. 

The smallest gesture can make the biggest difference

Today‘s contemporary funeral practices provide many new and varied observances to allow family and friends to say "good-bye" in meaningful and comforting ways.  Personalization services are available which may include memorial folders, casket and vault personalization, special music, video tributes, and more.  It may be of help to learn the terms frequently used by funeral providers when they discuss the different types of services.  The following services are provided by Valley Funeral Home...

Traditional Service

A full-service funeral, often referred to by funeral providers as a "traditional" funeral, is usually a more formal or religious ceremony with your loved one present in a casket.  Many have said seeing the embalmed body of a loved one in a peaceful state helps the family and friends to say goodbye and gain a sense of closure with that loved one.  Generally there is a specific time for viewing and visitation prior to the funeral service.  Video tributes, photographs, mementos, and floral arrangements all may serve to spark memories and conversation of the one who died and pay tribute to the life they lived.

This is a time to share memories and emotions with those who share in your loss.  The funeral service usually follows the visitation time on the same or next day.  It can include prayers, scripture reading, a eulogy, music, and sometimes a sermon.  The service can be provided at the funeral home, a church, community center, or other location of your choice, including the gravesite.  After the funeral service, there is a procession to the cemetery for the burial or entombment service.  The family may choose to have a reception following the service at the graveside.  This is usually at a home, church, or the reception room at the funeral home.  The reception usually concludes the formal services.  The traditional funeral service with burial or entombment may contain any or all of the following:

Transfer of the deceased to the funeral home, embalming, dressing, cosmetology and other care of the deceased, casket, professional support and administrative staff assistance with Veterans, Social Security, and insurance filings, use of visitation rooms and facilities for the arrangements and funeral service, use of the funeral coach, limousine, and utility car; a Memorial package which may include a register book, memorial folders or prayer cards, the video tribute, and acknowledgement cards.

You may choose to use any or all of the above amenities of a traditional funeral service.  However, since each service is personal it can and should be made to suit the personal needs and desires of the family.  In the event your loved one has already preplanned their service, we will fulfill their wishes just as they trusted us to do.  Click here for more information on preplanning

Direct Burial

Direct Burial means the body is buried shortly after death, usually in a simple container. There is no viewing, visitation, or funeral service, therefore no embalming is necessary.  The burial is at the convenience of the funeral home.  If the family chooses to be present for the burial, they are notified of the date and time of the final disposition.   Direct burial usually costs less than the "traditional," full-service funeral.  Costs include the funeral home‘s basic services fee, local transfer of the deceased to the funeral home initially and to the cemetery, and the purchase of a casket.  Additional costs may be incurred for the cemetery space or crypt and opening and closing fees by the contractor or cemetery, and obituary notices in selected newspapers.

No matter the type of funeral service you prefer, please ask us to show you all the ways to make it a service that is dignified, comforting, and complete.