Frequently Asked Questions
What are funerals?
Funerals are ceremonies for the deceased before burial or cremation. These ceremonies give family and friends to gather and mourn the passing, and to celebrate the loved one’s life by sharing cherished memories. Funerals are an important step in healing after the loss of someone special.
What services should I have?
If there are no pre-arrangements made, the selection of the services is up to you. Many services are held at the funeral home or in a place of worship. Today, there are many services that you can pick from, ranging from a traditional religious service to the non-traditional. Our funerals directors are more than happy to help you figure out what services would be the most appropriate.
Can I personalize a funeral?
Of course you can personalize a funeral. We are seeing more non-traditional and personalized services. There is no one way of celebrating someone’s life, so there it’s really a right or wrong way to. There are many ways that you can personalize a funeral. If you would like to personalize a funeral, please let our funeral staff know, and we will try our best to create a meaningful, personalized funeral.
Do I need to have an obituary notice, and what should be included in one?
Obituary notices are still highly recommended, and they can be posted in the local newspaper or online. Obituaries let the public know that someone has passed and provide information about the funeral services. Along with information about the services, obituaries also include the person’s full name, age, where they lived, date of birth and death. They could include the name of their spouse, and the names of parents, children, and other close family members.
Space in a newspaper can be limited, but you may want to include a small blurb about the life of the deceased. Online obituaries can be longer, and include more information about the deceased.
Who are funeral directors, and what is their job?
Funeral directors are the people who are in charge of the logistics that follow a death. They fill out and file the necessary paperwork, make transportation arrangements for the body, and arrange the services according to the family’s wishes. Along with the logistics part, funeral directors can provide guidance and moral support for those that are coping with death.
What happens if a death happens in the middle of the night, or during the weekend?
We are always here to help. Our funeral staff is available 24 hours a day, 7 days week, 365 days a year. Even on holidays.
What if the death occurs away from my home town or outside of Nova Scotia?
We can help. We can arrange for the remains to be transported from where the death occurred to home. We will make sure that the proper arrangements are make to return the remains to the community.
What is embalming, and what is purpose?
Embalming preserves and sanitizes the body to slow down the decomposition process. It can also enhance the appearance of the body if there was damage caused by illness or a traumatic death. Embalming gives the family more time to arrange services, and can help families have an open-casket viewing, and funeral service.
