funeral homes Archives • Page 15 of 34 • Blog | Baldauff Family Funeral Home

Questions for the Funeral Director

Getting the Right Director is Essential, so here are Some Questions You Can Ask to Get you Started

Going through the loss process can be an incredibly challenging experience for some, so when it comes time to start talking to funeral homes in Daytona Beach, FL, you want to make sure you are prepared with all the right information. There are several considerations and questions that you can ask to help give you a better idea of the company you are talking to is the right one for you, so keep reading for more information.

Considerations

If you have never been through the process of planning, the experience can feel overwhelming because you are not only dealing with the emotions of the last, but you’re trying to plan all the details. Multiple events can be included in the services, and here are just a few to consider.

Reception services or food services
Casket or urn choices to pick from
Decorations to be included
Flower arrangement options
Purchasing the plot or space in a columbarium
Herse rental
Eulogy reading or video tribute

These are just a few of the options that individuals can pick for services, so once you start speaking with companies, it can be helpful to get a list of services that they offer to help you narrow it down.

Essential Question to Ask

How long have you been in business?
What is your process for coordinating with morgues, cemeteries, crematoriums, or hospitals?
What is your role as a funeral director?
How many individuals are on staff, and how can they offer support?
Do you have a transparent and itemized price list?
What paperwork will be needed with decision-making to get the planning completed?
Are you corporately or independently owned?
What type of services do you offer?
Are you willing and open to religious or cultural traditions?
What kind of support is provided by the funeral home during the process?
What are the options for cremation or burial and the strategies?
What happens if an individual changes their mind about services they would like to have?
Can they accommodate the number of attendees that will be coming to the event?
Do they have additional facilities if there will be a reception or memorial service?

These are some of the main questions that can be helpful to have the answers to, and they can let you know if you’re working with a company that’s going to meet your needs. If, at any point, there’s confusion or the answers are not straightforward, it’s OK to ask for clarity or to choose to work with a different company.

Professional and Exceptional Services

When you start looking at funeral homes in Daytona Beach, FL, you want to make sure that you’re working with a company that understands how to get the job done with compassion and honesty. Losing a loved one can be an incredibly painful experience, and we are here to help you through the planning process with care and understanding of the pain of loss. We offer multiple services, so contact us today if you want to schedule an appointment.

5 Ways to Create a More Authentic Experience for Attendees

Your loved one was a remarkable individual, and once they’ve passed away, you want to make sure that you are honoring them and highlighting how special they were. Planning the details at one of the funeral homes in Lake Helen, FL, can allow you to truly celebrate them, and making the event as personal as possible is essential. Following a few suggestions can help you give the event that extra touch of care that will show to all the attendees, so here are some tips.

Choose a Food They Loved

At some events, the coordinator may choose to have a reception that could be extravagant and be fully catered or have something simpler like appetizers. One way to make the event personalized is to select a food item that the individual adored. If they had a specific dish that they specialized in, it could be helpful to create recipes of theirs to help with the process.

Offer a Gift

It is a thoughtful gesture to offer some form of token or gift for the attendees to show you appreciate their support, so making a personalized memorial gift can be ideal. Choosing items that remind you of the loved one, like a favorite candy or a satchel with their preferred coffee choice, can both be ways to authentically remember them and share that with others.

Pick Personalized Decorations

The decorations are the largest way to create a truly personalized service, so utilizing items like memorabilia is highly recommended. Having photo displays, favorite music, or even color coordination can also be another way to incorporate them into the event, which can help with the loss process.

Create a Theme

If there was something incredibly unique about the individual, you might consider creating a theme with the function. If they loved specific seasons of the year or this could be embellished, or you could focus on hobbies that they had and highlight these.

Consider the Location

If the individual had a specific area that they truly loved, you might want to consider having the services in this location. In some situations, the event may be held at one of the local funeral homes, while the reception could be fulfilled at a family member’s home or in a community park that the loved one cherished.

This can also be applied to the burial location or if the individual is being cremated where their ashes are scattered. They may have had a specific area where they wanted either of these events to occur, so consider this when you are making all of the arrangements.

We are Here with Support and Compassion for You

Planning a personalized event can help celebrate the individual and remember the life and joy they brought into other’s worlds. Taking the time to plan a genuinely thoughtful event may feel confusing if you’ve never been through the process before, so when you’re looking at funeral homes in Lake Helen, FL, it’s essential to find a high-quality company you can trust. We are locally owned company and take great pride in offering genuinely thoughtful events for all of our clients, so contact us today for more information.

After a Loved One Passes Certain Documents are Required, here are Common Ones

Once an individual has passed on, the funeral or cremation services will need to be planned at one of the funeral homes in Daytona Beach, FL, and held to lay them to rest. Specific information will need to be obtained because the individual had things in their life that will need to be turned off or canceled, and you will need to acquire certain documents to complete this. There are several items to be aware of, so here is a list to help you get started with the process.

What Are Their Assets?

The first thing that you’re going to need to look at is what kind of assets the individual had, and a few items that you are going to need copies or originals of are:

Any statements that can include bank accounts, IRAs, brokerage accounts, and annuities
If the individual carried any insurance policies, you would be required to have the original
There may be payable on death accounts or beneficiary designations that need documentation
Original titles for boats or automobiles
If there’s any real estate, a copy will work in most cases
Pods or stock certificates will require the original to do the transfer of title

Any Business Matters?

If the individual had a business, here are a few of the documents you will need.

LLC, partnership, or corporate documents, including any articles of organization, shareholders agreement, partnership agreements.
If they had specific accounts set up like brokerage, retirement, or bank accounts, you would need at least a few months’ worths of documentation.
If there were any contracts, the individual had leases, loans, or employment agreements.
If they had any titles for automobiles or boats, the original copies would be required.
You will also need copies of the local and state licenses for the business.

Did They Have Contracts?

It could be good to check for any contracts like prenuptial arrangements, personal loans, or leases they may have had for property or automobiles.

What Bills Need to Be Addressed?

You’re going to need copies of specific bills to turn off the service:

Medical bills
Credit cards
Utilities
Mortgages
Personal loans
Real estate taxes
Storage units

Our Services are Professional and Compassionate

The loss process can be complicated because, as you can see, multiple steps need to be taken besides planning the details of the event. You want to make the process as easy as possible, so when you choose to work with one of the funeral homes in Daytona Beach, FL, you want to company that can help you through the process from start to finish. We are locally owned and understand the pain of loss, so if you have any questions or need to schedule an appointment, contact us today to get started with the process.

Meal Ideas for Someone Grieving

Transitions happen with everyone, and whether it’s bringing a new to the home or going through the loss of a loved one, these can both be situations that create confusion as the emotions are processed. If you know someone who has recently needed to contact funeral homes in Lake Helen, FL, due to a loss, you might be considering creating a meal train to offer them support, and you might need some helpful recipe ideas. A few steps and suggestions can get you started, so keep reading for more information.

Getting Started

Once you have decided to create the meal train, you can get this schedule set up and give other people access to it that want to help contribute to the family or individual. There are a few essential things that you’re going to need to ask before preparing any meals, and they are:

Are there any allergies or food intolerances in the house?
Food preferences such as vegetarian or vegan?
What kind of kitchen appliances do they have, such as an oven or microwave?
How would they like to be contacted when the meal is on its way?
Checking to see if they want visitors or company during the dinner.

You will also want to make sure that you are preparing any of the meals in containers that do not need to be returned to decrease their stress level. And traditionally, when you do bring a meal, you want to make sure you include beverages and dessert.

Meal Ideas

Sheet pan baked chicken with veggies
Casseroles of any kind
Baked Spaghetti or lasagna
Premade salads with dressing on the side
Enchiladas or burritos
Macaroni and cheese
Build your tacos
Side salads
Turkey or chicken pot pie
Crockpot soups

You want to offer options that are easy to prepare and can be eaten at the leisure of the household, so a build your sandwich option can be a great idea. If children live in the home, bringing a body your pizza or finding kids-style foods such as chicken nuggets or corn dogs can help make the situation more manageable.

In addition to this, you may also want to provide a special side gift with the meal, such as a card or an extra special dessert that you know the family enjoys.

Offering Comfort and Compassion

Many different recipes can create more ease and less stress for the family, so focus on finding those. You also want to do your best to be understanding if they do not wish to have visitors or company because everyone grieves differently, so know that you’re doing your part to show support by offering food as a form of comfort.

And suppose you have recently lost someone and have started looking at funeral homes in Lake Helen, FL. In that case, you want to find a company that offers integrity and compassionate care as its primary focus. Having an experienced and caring staff can make all the difference in planning services, so contact us today if you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment.

Eco-friendly Burial Options 

Sustainability is not just a buzzword in our culture, it is a mindset, and some individuals are changing their day-to-day living to adjust to an eco-friendlier lifestyle. From their clothing to food choices, where they’re getting their products from, and the options they must make a difference in their decisions; this is no different for funeral or cremation services in Lake Helen, FL. A few options are available for an eco-friendlier burial, so here is more information.

Resomation

Cremation Services have grown in popularity over the years, and the process consists of an individual’s remains being incinerated in temperatures up to 2000 degrees. Once the process is completed, the remains are ground down into ash-like substances and returned to the family members. Resomation is a variation of cremation through a revolution in the water using alkalines and high pressure to break down the remains into essential components. The process takes between four and six hours and requires less energy than traditional cremation.

Sea Burial

It could be suitable for the individual who loved the ocean to consider doing a burial at sea. These can consist of scattering the ashes on the water or doing a full-body release. The EPA may require special permits for this service due to the concern about non-decomposable materials ending up in the water source.

Natural Burial

Natural burial can be done on private property, depending on the individual’s state. There are also eco cemeteries placed around the country in nature preserves or wooded areas. They do not allow any toxic chemicals such as embalming fluids or certain oils, and any caskets or urns need to be made from biodegradable materials.

Donation to Science

Another option is to have the body donated to forensic science. The process consists of the individual’s remains being left to decompose in a more natural state for the study of assisting with criminal investigations. There’s no embalming, which means there’s no need for a casket or urn, more minor metals, or other materials placed in the soil.

Promessa

The last option is a newer choice that’s on the market and works to have the remains of the deceased cryogenically frozen until they reach a crystallized state. Once this is completed, the remains are broken into small pieces, freeze-dried, and then prepared to be buried. It’s a much faster process with the remains turning into the soil, and some states in the U.S. are looking to legalize the option for individuals.

Keeping Care at the Forefront

As you can see, there are a few different options when it comes to a more natural style service, but for some, a traditional funeral or cremation might be the best choice for their loved ones. It can be highly beneficial to work with a company that understands the intricacies of planning cremation services in Lake Helen, FL, and Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory are here to help. We specialize in multiple services, so contact us today if you would like more information or schedule an appointment.

Category: funeral homes