What is a Memorial Service?

Unlike a traditional funeral, a memorial service is a gathering where a casket is not usually present (although the urn with the cremated remains may be on display). Many families choose a memorial service since it can be held weeks or even months after the death.

A memorial service can be held in a church, the funeral home or a community hall, or somewhere of importance to the deceased and family. There are no restrictions on the location of the service. Typically there is music, selected readings, and a eulogy. However, memorial services can be further personalized as a celebration-of-life.

Memorial Service Ideas

At Brown's Memorial Funeral Home, our many years of experience has shown us that many of today's families want more for their loved one than a traditional funeral. This can certainly be done by bringing more of the personality and lifestyle of the deceased into the service. By doing things such as displaying photographs or staging the event around a favorite pastime, a memorial service can become more personal and meaningful.

If a personalized memorial service suits the needs of your family, we suggest you consider the following questions:
  • What did your loved one like to do?
  • What was he or she like as an individual?
  • What was their profession and how did that shape their life?
  • Was your loved one spiritual?
  • Was he or she proud of their cultural or ethnic heritage? 

    We're Here to Help You Plan a Memorial Service

    Using the five questions above as our guide, we will spend time with you to help create a unique and fitting memorial service for your loved one. Please call us to learn the details of our memorial service planning process.
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    Why Choose a Memorial Service?

    Many families today want to celebrate the life of a loved one, rather than mourn at a traditional funeral. The National Funeral Directors Association notes, "As baby boomers age and find themselves having to plan funerals for loved ones and themselves, they are making funeral choices based on values that are different than previous generations. Baby boomers see funerals as a valuable part of the grieving process and are seeking ways to make them meaningful." If you also wish to make the funeral for a loved one more unique and personally meaningful, a celebration-of-life may be the perfect type of service to plan for your loved one.

    How Does a Celebration of Life Differ from a Traditional Funeral?

    As mentioned on the Traditional Funeral Services page, there are four basic components which make up the conventional approach to funerals:
    1. A Visitation
    2. The Funeral Service
    3. A Committal Service
    4. The Funeral Reception
    With that being said, a traditional funeral is a series of events; it's a ritualized process where the deceased, and the attendees, pass from one social status to another. According to the online article "Six Characteristics of Helpful Ceremonies", by William Hoy, Director of Grief Connect, this is done by including:
    • Symbols of shared significance intended to communicate beyond words
    • Ritual actions shared by a group of individuals
    • Gathered people providing comfort to one another
    • Connection to heritage through recognized readings
    • Increased physical contact between attendees provide comfort
    • Witnessing the transition of the body through burial or cremation
    In knowing these characteristics, you can design a Celebration of Life as unique as the life of your loved. Learn how to create a Celebration of Life.
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