What is a Funeral?

A funeral is a gathering of family and friends who come together to honor the memory of a loved one who has died.

Funerals provide an important rite of passage. Similar to rituals that mark other transitions in life -- such as baptisms, graduations, and weddings -- funerals provide a time for family and friends to celebrate the life of the loved one and share their feelings concerning the loss of this person in their lives. Coming together like this provides a satisfactory environment for mourning and expressing grief.

Funerals are important rituals in our lives for those who are left behind. They affirm our basic beliefs about life and death, and help us through our loss. Brust Funeral Home regularly conducts funerals for Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox churches as well as Muslim, Hindu and other faiths.

Funerals can be as unique as the people planning them. While they are often held in churches, synagogues, or funeral homes, they may be held in any location requested by the family. Funerals that remember the loved one in personal ways can be very healing. We all carry memories and it is helpful to share those through readings, music, pictures, or other forms.

If you wish to talk with someone about funerals, contact Brust Funeral Home and a funeral director or other qualified staff will gladly answer your questions.

Why Have A Funeral?

Commemorating the important events which occur in the course of our lives is important to most of us. These events are marked by the ceremonies we use to acknowledge them. Christening and baptisms, graduations from high school and college, weddings, birthday and anniversary celebrations, and funerals are all examples of important life cycle events that are identified by the ceremonies we use to acknowledge them.

Funerals, like the other events in our lives, serve a valuable function by providing a time and place for commemorating and acknowledging the life of a person who has died. Funerals confirm and reinforce the reality of the death, assist in the expression of grief and feelings of loss, begin the process of reintegrating the bereaved back into the community and convey our values and beliefs regarding the meaning of life and death.

Funeral rituals provide an expression of the faith values of the deceased and a means of comfort for the survivors. Brust Funeral Home regularly conducts funerals for Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox churches as well as Muslim, Hindu and other faiths. We also provide for creative celebration services for those who did not practice a particular faith.

Funerals may be as unique as the individual whose life they celebrate. Your funeral director can provide many suggestions and options for ensuring that a funeral for a loved one, or for yourself, truly honors and celebrates a life that has been lived. Call your funeral director to discuss any questions you may have.

What Do Funeral Directors Do?

The primary role of a funeral director is to assist and serve people when experiencing the death of a loved one. Usually this is immediately after the death has occurred, but increasingly it involves planning ahead of the time of need.

Funeral directors help the family plan the funeral and then take responsibility for coordinating those decisions. This includes such things as:

• securing the location for the funeral;
• arranging for someone to officiate at the service;
• ordering the flowers and memorial folders;
• preparing the obituary and other information for newspapers and radio stations;
• filing legal documents with governmental agencies;
• directing various aspects of the funeral itself.

The funeral director is also responsible for preparing the body of the loved one for the services and making certain that its presentation fulfills the wishes of the family.

In all these activities, it is the concerned and caring service to families that is the hallmark of the funeral director. Advisor, counselor, organizer, and caregiver are just some of the roles which funeral directors play in helping you through the loss of your loved one.

Feel free to call your funeral director if you have any questions.