Boyd-Panciera Family Funeral Care

Throughout human history and around the globe, people have gathered together to acknowledge the death of a community member. A funeral ceremony provides the opportunity for everyone to come together to acknowledge the death, recognize the shared loss, and share the burden of grief.

Funerals, memorial services, and celebrations-of-life exist on a spectrum of ceremonial formats. The funeral is most commonly the most expensive of the three, especially when considering casket costs. The cost of any of the three is totally dependent on the choices made during the arrangement conference.

People who would want to be there. Guests serve two roles: demonstrating support for the bereaved family and tending to their own sorrow. While funeral invitations are not commonly sent, it makes sense to reach out to certain individuals by phone, email, or social media to ensure they know the service details. Consider inviting those who mattered most to your loved one, and don't invite more people than the venue can comfortably handle.

Flowers create a background of warmth and beauty which adds to the dignity and consolation of the funeral service. While not strictly necessary, flowers serve valuable purposes including visual expression of sympathy, love, and respect, and a means of lending support.

Derived from the French 'en lieu,' the phrase means 'in place.' It directs people to make contributions instead of sending flowers, but it does not obligate you to refrain from sending flowers unless the obituary explicitly states 'no flowers please.'

Certainly not. You should never feel obligated to do anything in response to a death. Your actions, whether sending flowers, preparing food, or making a donation, should always come from the heart.

The body is temporarily preserved by embalming, refrigeration, or a combination of the two. It is washed, dressed, groomed, and then placed in the chosen casket for viewing. This work is performed by trained and licensed embalmers and restorative artists.

Sometimes people need to see in order to truly believe. Viewing confirms the fact that the person is dead and provides an opportunity to say goodbye, share secrets, let go of anger or resentment, and come to terms with the death.

It is best done with honesty and awareness. Let them know what to expect, that people will be sad and may cry, and that some people may speak. Let them ask questions, reassure them you'll be there, never force them to attend, and always give them the opportunity to change their mind.

Celebrants are trained professionals who believe in the power of ceremony and ritual. A life-cycle celebrant is especially valuable when a family has no religious affiliations or ties to clergy. Through careful interviewing, celebrants elicit what is meaningful for each client and help create ceremonies that reflect the client's beliefs and personality.

It depends on the service. Just as no two movies or novels are the same length, no two end-of-life ceremonies are the same.

Black used to be the only color to wear to a funeral, but not anymore. Today things are less formal, and families sometimes ask guests to altogether avoid wearing black clothing.