Monthly Archives: February 2020

funeral home in Yardley, PA

Funeral Homes Around the Holidays

Whether it’s a recent loss with a funeral at a funeral home in Yardley, PA, or an anniversary of a past death, losing a loved one around the holidays is hard. This is especially true because the holiday season is usually all about festivity and celebration, and loss is often compounded by the lack of companionship or loss of certain traditions.

There are ways to make a holiday visit to a funeral home much easier. For example, as the holidays are traditionally about celebration and happiness, it’s important to set aside time for grief. Whether this grieving time is at the funeral home or memorial service, or if it is a more private or informal moment at home or with family, it’s a good idea to make it know that it’s OK to be sad and grieve even during the holidays. You can observe a moment of silence, share memories of the deceased, or just spend a few simple moments remembering.

You can also continue the spirit of the season. Celebrating and remembering a lost loved one doesn’t have to end at the funeral home, even during the holidays. There are lots of ways bereaved can continue the spirit of the season and remembering the deceased at home, such as setting up a vase of the deceased’s favorite flowers, leaving an empty chair at the table, having a moment of silence before a meal, or putting up a special ornament on the tree. Make a holiday funeral or memorial service more meaningful and personal by adding personal touches. You can send everyone home with fresh baked holiday cookies, hang up festive decorations, sing seasonal songs, or take a moment to acknowledge the season.

Giving back to your community is another great way to celebrate the season as well as turn your grief and loss into something positive. Grief can make you feel helpless, so doing community service or volunteering can bring back a feeling of control and positivity. There are tons of ways to volunteer around the holidays. Try caroling at a local retirement home, write notes to troops serving oversees, or host a toy drive for underprivileged kids.

Open the service to those from the community that knew the deceased or might want to offer support to the bereaved. Use various methods to promote the service and make it know that its open to the community. You can post on social media, post flyers or make calls. An open service fosters seasonal goodwill and allows everyone that was touched by the deceased to acknowledge their loss and pay their respects.

Losing a loved one around the holidays will never be easy, but these ideas might ease the pain and loss a bit. Want to learn more about Yardley, PA funeral homes? J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel is here to help. You can stop by and visit us at 41 W Trenton Ave Morrisville, PA 19067, or give us a call at (215) 295-7725 for more information on what we can do for you.

cremation service in Trenton, NJ

Cremation Services, Columbarium and Mausoleums

There are lots of options for what you can do with cremated remains after a cremation service in Trenton, NJ. One lesser known option is interring or inurning. You can inter, or place, or inurn, place the urn containing the cremains in the ground, or in an above ground permanent resting place. The two most common options for interring above ground are columbarium and mausoleums.

If you’ve ever been walking in, through or past a cemetery, you’ve most likely noticed the ornate but small buildings scattered around the grounds amidst the tombstones. These buildings are mausoleums, columbarium, or even a combination of the two. Both are defined as permanent, above ground resting places for human remains. However, how are they different, if at all? How do you choose which one you want to use for your loved one’s remains?

National Funeral Directors Association defines a mausoluem as, “a building designed for above-ground placement of a casket. The casket is placed into a crypt that may be designed for one or two persons.” Mausoleums can have one crypt, or a chamber designed to hold one body, or a larger space made to hold a few people like a family or a couple. Some mausoleums have more than one room for different parts of a family. These buildings are often decorated with exterior markers to denote who is resting inside. Some even have glass windows that allow those on the outside to view the coffins.

There are lots of different kinds of mausoleums all around the world. In fact, one of the original Seven Wonders of the World was a mausoleum. Built in 353 BC near what is now known as Turkey, The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was the final resting place of a famous Persian king named Mausolus. This king was so rich that he commissioned one of the finest mausoleums ever built and is actually how the term mausoleum was coined.

Unlike mausoleums that generally hold bodies, columbarium are designed to house cremated remains. The term columbarium comes from the Latin word “columba” which means dove. In the past, doves and pigeons were housed in buildings with niches on the walls for their nests. This design is very similar to how columbarium are made, as they have compartments built into the walls to house and display cremation urns. There are lots of different columbarium designs. Some are indoor and some are outside, while others are simple and more still are decorated and elaborate. You can choose whatever kind of columbarium you like for your lost loved one.

Want to learn more about columbarium, mausoleums, or Trenton, NJ cremation services? J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel is here for you. All you have to do is stop by and visit us at 41 W Trenton Ave Morrisville, PA 19067, or give us a call at (215) 295-7725. We are happy to give you any information, services or assistance you may need to make your time of loss a bit easier.

funeral home in Trenton, NJ

Funeral Home Personalization Facts

There are tons of ways you can make any funeral or service at a funeral home in Trenton, NJ unique, personalized and meaningful. Personalized funerals are the way of the future. They are popular because they allow the bereaved to both grieve their loss and celebrate the unique life of their lost loved one. Do you want to learn more about personalized funerals, or get some inspiration to help you plan a service for a lost loved one?

Here are a few interesting facts about personalized funerals in funeral homes and beyond to give you more information:

  • Most families don’t want a traditional funeral – According to a recent study, 71% of families do not want a traditional funeral as they see them as gloomy or dark. Most families want something unique that reflects the special qualities of their lost loved one.
  • People want a party – In another recent study, 500 participants were asked to name something they really want at a funeral. The top 5 answers were music, family, people, beer and flowers. When put all together, these 5 things equal a celebration.
  • Funerals are a celebration of life – Funerals are no longer sad and gloomy events. People want to celebrate their lost loved ones in special ways, remembering them for their unique qualities and happy memories.
  • Cemeteries are overcrowded – About 2.7 million Americans die every year. That’s the entire population of Chicago. With so many deaths, it’s no wonder cemeteries are too crowded. That’s why many people are opting for non-traditional ways of putting their lost loved ones to rest.
  • Religion is on its way out – According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the percentage of people that think religion is an important part of a funeral has gone down by more than 10%. More people are placing personalization over religion.
  • Traditional burials are out – Traditional burials are now thought of as wasteful and bad for the environment. For example, in one year in America, burial puts enough embalming fluid into the ground to fill an Olympic swimming pool.
  • Webcasting – The internet is also allowing families to be a part of funeral services even if they can’t be there in person. Funeral webcasting is becoming very popular all across the US and is only getting cheaper which makes it more accessible for everyone.
  • Digital obituaries – Since most obituaries are now placed on memorial websites rather than printed in traditional newspapers, they are becoming more and more important, thorough, and personalized.
  • Memorial videos – Memorial videos put modern technology to good use. They allow families to make personalized tributes for the deceased for people to enjoy at the funeral and beyond.

If you have more questions about personalized funerals or Trenton, NJ funeral homes, you can come to J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel. We offer a range of funeral services from 41 W Trenton Ave Morrisville, PA 19067. If you would like to learn more about what we can do for you, just stop by and visit us or give us a call at (215) 295-7725.

cremation services in Levittown, PA

Religion and Cremation Services

There are cremation services in Levittown, PA happening all the time, but that doesn’t mean that everyone or every religion chooses to participate in them. There are many different beliefs and religions, each with their own standing on cremation that sometimes goes back centuries into the past. For many, the choice between burial and cremation is a religious one, as some religions accept cremation, while others do not depending on their traditions. Keep reading to learn more about these stances, as there are so many belief systems in Levittown, PA.

Spiritism, or Reincarnation, is a kind of belief system that promotes the idea that all humans carry immortal spirits that will go to another host after death. Cremation is also widely accepted in Spiritism. However, believers do require a certain period of time between the death and the cremation as they believe that the spirit can sometimes remain with the body for a time after death.

Read also: Questions After the Funeral Home

Cremation is fully accepted in Christianity. There are even verses in the Bible that seem to encourage the practice. Take, for example, Genesis 3:19, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” However, there are some Christians that cite biblical examples in support of traditional burial, such as Christ being buried, or various Old Testament burials. All in all, when it comes to Christianity and burial, it really depends on what the individual prefers. The Jewish faith, on the other hand, does not allow cremations, as per scripture in the Torah. However, some more modern Jewish families do choose cremation if it coincides with their personal beliefs.

The Hindu religion pretty much mandates cremation. Hindus believe that fire is a purifying agent that can help release the deceased’s spirit from its physical body so it can move on to a spiritual dimension. Hinduism also calls for a memorial service after the cremation to keep memories of the deceased alive.

No matter what you believe or what your religion is, the only important thing is that the deceased is treated with respect and remembered fondly by those that loved him or her. There are tons of options for you to honor and remember your lost loved one, be it through traditional burial or a cremation. You are sure to find the right solution for you, your family, and your beliefs in Levittown, PA as J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel.

We here at J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel offer compassionate and accepting cremation services. We cater to many different religions and beliefs and would be happy to help you in your time of loss. If you want to learn more about our Levittown, PA cremation services, please visit us at 41 W Trenton Ave Morrisville, PA 19067, or give us a call at (215) 295-7725. We look forward to giving you the support you need during this difficult time.