Choosing to Have Your Loved One's Funeral at Home

Years ago back in the late 1800's and early 1900's it wasn't unheard of for loved ones to have their funeral services at their own home. Many church parsonages were in homes and that is where the term or name "funeral home" came to be.

Many feel that local funeral homes are cold and dismal and not a very warm and welcoming place to be. Some homes can come across as being almost spooky at times, with the huge gaudy ceilings, tricky lighting and multiple rooms of deceased. It can be very distracting and difficult to walk in to visit your loved one and there are a clan of someone else's family members there mourning their loved ones. Very awkward and sometimes uncomfortable.

I recently attended a funeral that was very personal and unique. The gentleman's body was prepared at the local funeral home and cleaned, prepared and prepped to be laid in his casket. Then the next day he was brought to his home in his casket and laid in his sunroom out on the back porch. Later that evening his friends and family visited him in his home setting and shared and remembered precious memories and fun time with one another. This was something his wife thought would be much more personal and meaningful.

For his funeral, everyone gathered around for the small simple service , he was surrounded by all the things he loves, such as the flower gardens in his yard that he worked so hard on to achieve great beauty and eye-catching floral arrangements. He was an avid lover of old vintage cars, and these cars were pulled around and brought close by to also be on display, for reflection ,remembrance and also to spark nostalgia and memories for conversation pieces. At the close the hurse and funeral home arrived to take him to the cemetery to be buried.

Some people feel a closeness and a closure by having the funeral at the home. Surrounded by favorite pets that otherwise wouldn't have been able to come is also an advantage. This gentleman's pet was very saddened by the loss of his owner, and the family is extended by all their favorite pets, basically they are also family. To have them a part of the service was something that couldn't have taken place at a standard funeral home.

The funeral home generally obtains all the necessary permits, and legality issues pertaining to transportation and having the body moved and handled. They are aware of laws and boundaries and generally can help with all of these arrangements.

Having the body in the home after friends and relatives have gone home can sometimes be an advantage for the spouse or children. This gives them some special alone time and the ability to say goodbye in a private setting. Most funeral homes have time frames when they need family to go home, this would of course not be the case in a home funeral.

It also opens the option to have many comforts of home that couldn't be obtained anywhere else, with the kitchen being close by a after funeral get together doesn't require spending extra money on renting a hall. The family is able to prepare meals and snacks right at home and guests can help themselves.

The cost for a home funeral is almost as expensive as a low cost funeral at a funeral home, due to the costs of preparing and transporting the body, but the benefits are great. Truly the cost is irrelevant if it is something that your family wants. If your focus is celebrating your loved ones life in a home like setting, preferable your own home, then an at home funeral could be the right choice.