funeral homes Archives • Page 27 of 34 • Blog | Baldauff Family Funeral Home

Where Did Funeral Homes Originate?

You likely don’t sit around thinking about funeral homes in Daytona Beach, FL very often, but perhaps you saw a movie from the old west times and thought, huh, people used to bury their own—when did that change? There are actually a lot of interesting facts behind funeral homes, where they came from, and how they got to be what they are today.

Funeral homes didn’t start to crop up across the country until after the Civil War ended and much of those businesses grew because of the embalming process. Before the Civil War, people weren’t usually very far from home when they died. The deceased would be placed in the family home, viewed, and then buried. While there were a few ways to put decomposition off, nothing was used very regularly.

In 1865, President Lincoln’s body was embalmed so he could have a nationwide funeral train. At that point, people all over the country accepted and started using the embalming process and funeral homes became the leaders in highlighting that need. The embalming process allowed families to take funeral services outside of their homes. More deceased were transported for their services and neutral settings, like funeral homes, started to become something people wanted. Families could invite others outside of their family and have larger events for their loved ones. Formal cemeteries also became more popular instead of home burials.

Funerals continued to expand across the country in the 1900s and formal training for undertakers became the norm. Instead of being called undertakers, they were changed to morticians or funeral directors. And early in that century, the National Funeral Directors Association was formed to help consumers and professionals come together under certain regulations. There were a lot of other industries that became connected as well such as florists, casket makers, life insurance companies, and more. Funeral home businesses grew by 100% in just 80 years.

Today, there are funeral homes for every major religion and then some. Religious groups often have their own funeral homes or there are some funeral homes that accommodate a lot of different beliefs. Many funeral homes have a variety of disposition options and service choices so wide groups of people can fit into their services. One thing remains the same, however, and that’s the need to mourn and honor someone who has passed away in a unique manner.

The professionals at Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory are here to help you whenever you have the need for funeral homes in Daytona Beach, FL. If you want to plan your own services, come to our facilities at 1233 Saxon Blvd, Orange City, FL 32763 for a tour and we can help you figure out what direction you want to take. If a loved one has passed on, give us a call at (386) 775-2101 and we’ll help you every step of the way from transporting your loved one to their final service arrangements. We want to be by your side during some of the most difficult times in your life.

Should You Attend The Visitation Or Funeral At The Funeral Home?

When you are invited to a visitation and/or a funeral at one of the local funeral homes in Deland, FL, you might wonder if you should attend one, the other, or both. There are no right or wrong ways to go here and you have to think about your situation individually and do what is best for you and those around you. Here are some instances that might help you decide where you lie.

Attending The Visitation Only

If you did not know the person who passed away very well, but you want to support their family members, visiting them at the visitation within the funeral home is a nice gesture. You can show your support, offer your condolences, and make an appearance so they know you respect what they are going through. Since you are able to speak with the family there, there’s no huge need to also sit through the funeral. It is also nice to attend the visitation if you have been invited to the services, but for some reason can’t attend the funeral.

Attending The Funeral Only

If you are invited to all services, but the funeral is the only thing that works out time-wise for you, it is okay to attend just that service. You can speak with the family there, leave your name in the guestbook, and perhaps bring a condolence card as well. Sometimes, your appearance at the funeral says more to the family than you can yourself. Just being there means a lot. If you knew the person who passed and you feel the need to mourn, being at the funeral over the visitation is also advantageous for you.

Attending Both Services

If you are very close with the family and want to do anything you can to support them, you might even attend both events. If you are a part of the family or a friend who knew the deceased, you might also feel drawn to all of the services so you can get the closure and final goodbye you need yourself while supporting others who are also grieving. With a plan, you’ll reduce stress for grieving loved ones.

There’s no cut-and-dried answer as to which service you should attend when someone passes on. You have to evaluate your needs, your relationship with them and their family members, and many other things to see where you would best fit in.

If you have questions about service options or you want advice on what you maybe should or should not attend, the funeral homes in Deland, FL can help you on those topics. Contact the professionals at Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory by visiting with our funeral director at 1233 Saxon Blvd, Orange City, FL 32763, or by calling with your questions at (386) 775-2101. We are experts in helping people create memorable final services for loved ones, but we also want to help those around the grieving by supporting them in the best possible manner in whatever way we can.

Make Time To Plan With Funeral Homes

While your life might be busier than ever before, you have priorities. When your child has a soccer game, for example, you do everything you can to be there. You make time for the things in your life that are important to you. One thing you should make time for is planning ahead with Lake Helen, FL funeral homes. It might sound morbid, but one of the facts of life is that someday, you will pass on. Whenever that might happen, it’s nice to have a plan in place for your family so no one has to worry about what you would have wanted or even about making plans at all. They just call the funeral home and the plans operate as you placed them. How can you make time for these plans? Here are a few suggestions.

A Little At A Time

Take a few minutes out of your day to call the funeral home you want to use for your own final services someday. They can send you a list of options, packages, and prices. You can then take a look at the decisions you have to make a little at a time and start slowly. First, you will decide whether you want a funeral or cremation service. Then, you will decide on service details and so on. You can sit down and decide everything at once, or you can take ten minutes out of your day each day and make decisions a little at a time. At that pace, you’ll get farther than you’d think rather quickly and the plans can be put together in short order.

Carve Out An Afternoon

When something is important to you, you make time for it. Plan your work schedule and your family life ahead and carve an afternoon out to visit with funeral home professionals and put some plans together. If you work ahead and cover everything that needs covering, you can get these plans taken care of. There’s nothing more important than caring for your family and this is a huge way to take care of them whenever you pass on in the future.

Have Someone Help

While you get to make the ultimate decisions, it’s nice to have a family member helping you with details. They can look over the options and vet things out a bit so you can figure out what you want faster. If your spouse has more time, ask them to research certain things and update you on the results so you can have the benefits of that research without putting in the time it takes to get the details.

When you are working on pre-plans, there are Lake Helen, FL funeral homes willing to help you work around your time constraints at your convenience. Contact the professionals at Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory by calling (386) 775-2101 to ask questions or set up a consultation to get details. We’re located at 1233 Saxon Blvd, Orange City, FL 32763 and we want to help you in any way we can.

Dealing With Funeral Homes And Work Pressure

Working with funeral homes in Daytona Beach, FL means that you’ve lost a close loved one. The fact that you are in charge of the final services means you are probably the person closest to the one who passed away. It can be emotional and overwhelming to deal with funeral home planning in that situation. However, death can often catch you off guard, and just because someone passed on doesn’t mean your life comes to a standstill. There are still pressures and needs around you, possibly at your job, that need attention as well. Here are some tips to help you deal with the funeral home while you handle work pressure and other life details.

Tip 1: Think Ahead

While you may not see death coming, you know emergencies can happen in your life at any time. It’s best to plan ahead and have some kind of coverage in place at your office. You take vacations on occasion, right? Perhaps there’s someone who covers for you when you are gone who can step in while you deal with the funeral home. Try to keep track of your tasks and list them out so you can email that list to someone when you need time off and they can pick up where you left off. You never know when you might be sick or need some time off for a family funeral. Planning ahead can really help you in a tough spot.

Tip 2: Learn To Let Go

While you might think you are irreplaceable at work, you need to let go of certain tasks when a family emergency arises. Give yourself permission to step away and let someone else handle things while you are away. Could there be a mess to clean up when you get back? Possibly. But you need that time off to deal with your family’s funeral. Nothing else is as important at this point.

Tip 3: Work In Chunks At Home

While you work with the funeral home on certain arrangements, you may not feel up to going into the office. That doesn’t mean you’ll want to completely step away from your work, either. You might need breaks from planning or time away from your grief and a little work here and there could be the distraction you need.

These are just a few ideas to help you handle funeral homes in Daytona Beach, FL as well as whatever pressures you have going on at work when a death occurs in your family. The professionals at Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory are here to implement any decisions you make to take as much pressure off you as possible. Call us at (386) 775-2101 and we’ll let you know what the options are and when you need to make decisions on certain items. We’re located at 1233 Saxon Blvd, Orange City, FL 32763 and we can speak in person whenever is convenient for you. If you want to check service options out online first, visit us at Baldaufffuneralhome.com.

Funeral Home Visitation Attendance

Most people will never feel completely comfortable when visiting funeral homes in Lake Helen, FL and that’s usually because death isn’t easy to deal with. However, when you feel led to go to a funeral home for a visitation, whether it’s for a family member, a co-worker, a friend, or an acquaintance, it’s good to know how to dress and act so you can fit in and be as comfortable as possible in such a situation. Here are some more details about visitations so you know what to do.

Visitations usually take place prior to a traditional funeral. They are a chance for family and friends to gather, view the deceased, mourn together, and say a final goodbye. It is a great way for some people to get closure while others feel uncomfortable about it. If you feel the need to attend a visitation, it might be to see the person who passed and get closure yourself or it might be to support the family members around that person. Either is a perfectly valid reason to attend and your presence will be appreciated.

Keep in mind that visitations are like open houses. There is a range of time, say 1-4, and you don’t have to be there for the entire time. In fact, most people other than direct family members will keep their visits brief. They will drop by, view the deceased, speak with the family, perhaps visit quietly with a few others, and take their leave. You’re not expected to stay for the entire time, and you can come late, leave early, or both.

At a visitation, you never know how people will dress, but you’re always safe with business casual clothing. You don’t have to go over the top with your attire, but you don’t want to wear jeans and a t-shirt, either. Be respectful and wear something laid back that isn’t flashy and won’t draw attention to you. Pre-planning is making all of your arrangements ahead of time so that everything can be conducted according to your wishes.

It’s common for those in attendance to view the person lying in the casket, but it’s not a requirement. Perhaps you don’t know the person that well and you came to support the family or maybe you’re just uncomfortable with the idea overall. Either way, you don’t have to approach the casket if you don’t want to. Your presence at the visitation is enough and says a lot to the family members involved.

If you’d like to hear more about visitations before you attend one, the funeral homes in Lake Helen, FL can help answer your questions. If you’ve never been to a visitation before, it can be daunting and it’s best to know what to expect. Contact the professionals at Baldauff Family Funeral Home and Crematory. You can visit us at 1233 Saxon Blvd, Orange City, FL 32763 and we can go over visitation specifics and what’s common to occur. You can also call for information and we’re happy to help you however we can over the phone. Reach us at (386) 775-2101. Even if you aren’t setting up services, we’re here for you.