Just as there are complexities in life, so  are there many dimensions in planning the modern funeral. But by making the fundamental choice between burial and cremation, you have already taken care of one of the most important decisions you will need to make. In this section, you will find essential information that will help you make the final burial arrangements, such as:

Topics That We Will Cover:

Planning The Service

What type of casket will you choose?

Selecting Burial Vaults

How will you memorialize your loved one? 

How can you personalize the funeral?

And where will the final resting place be?

Planning the Service
Ceremonies help survivors face the death of a loved one, celebrate their life. Whether a ceremony is elaborate or simple, funerals are often individualized to reflect the life of the deceased and to hold special meaning for family and other survivors.

Viewing the Body
Generally, funeral services are conducted with the body of the deceased present. Many find the viewing to be helpful -- providing a positive and peaceful image of the person to add to their memories. It also allows family and friends to gather and provide comfort to one another.  Visitations can be public - open to all who wish to attend, or private - open only to family members and close friends at the immediate family's request. Regardless of the option chosen, this tradition gives family members and friends the opportunity to say their final goodbyes prior to disposition of the body.

The Ceremony
Funeral ceremonies reflect the life of the deceased and hold special meaning for family and other survivors. The service can be religious or secular in nature, where family and friends are encouraged to participate by sharing their memories and feelings. Funeral services (or memorial services at which the body is not present) can be held in a variety of places.  For example:

• Funeral Home

• Place of Worship

• Cemetery (chapel or at grave site)

• Personal Home

• Park or Garden

Plan Your Own
Personalization is a valuable element of today’s funerals. A ceremony can be individualized with musical selections, readings and displays to reflect the person's life, occupation and interests. It may reflect one's religious beliefs as a re-affirmation of faith in a greater life beyond this world. It may center on an ethnic background or social affiliation, or even reflect the occupation or hobbies of the deceased. Inviting friends and family to stand and say a few informal comments about the deceased can be very helpful to survivors. Family members are encouraged to express any ideas that will create a more meaningful and personalized service.

In the next section how to choose a casket.

Choosing a Casket

Protection
What exactly does protection mean? Simply put, protective caskets prevent the entrance of grave site elements from getting inside the casket. For many of us, the urge to protect our loved ones is fundamental, enveloping every stage of life. 

Materials
A wide variety of caskets in many price ranges and styles Hardwood caskets reflect the choice of families who appreciate and cherish the qualities of natural wood. The warmth, beauty and personality it brings to fine furniture makes it ideally suited for the construction of quality caskets. Hardwood caskets are available in a variety of species including Mahogany, Walnut, Cherry, Maple, Oak, Pecan, Poplar, and Pine. The type of metal or species of wood used will affect both the appearance and cost of a casket. You can also visit our wood casket display and metal casket display.

Interior Options
Casket interiors are available in three types of fabrics: crepe, velour and velvet. Crepes are usually the least expensive and velvets are the most expensive. Casket interiors are also available in different styles: shirred - in which the material is gathered and sewn, giving it a ruffled appearance; tailored - in which the design is smooth, flat and simple; and tufted - in which heavy padding is used beneath the fabric and the fabric is then pulled through, creating a geometric design. Beige interiors are the standard for most Batesville caskets; however, other colors like the popular pink or blue are also available. In addition to interior fabrics, you can also choose personalized panels for the cap (inside lid) of the casket that reflect various lifestyles, interests and service affiliations.

Exterior Options
A funeral is one of the most personal and intimate occasions a family can share. Personalizing the exterior of the casket can reflect the life of the deceased, holding special meaning for survivors. Custom corners are a favored means to do just that.

Personalizing the Funeral

A funeral is one of the most intimate occasions a family can share. As a way to honor the deceased, many families customize the casket by adding personalized panels, custom corners and items in a Memory Safe™ drawer.

No matter what one's interest or hobbies in life may be, families can also individualize the ceremony by adding music, readings, stories, and poetry that reflect and celebrate the life that was lived. That's why at J. Seaton McGrath Funeral Home we try to make the funeral more meaningful to you. We want to show you how important a funeral is. Because a life well lived should be a well honored.

The Service
By reflecting on your loved one’s lifestyle, religion, profession, organizational affiliation, or hobbies, are some of the many ways you can make the funeral ceremony a more unique experience. The Memory Safe™ drawer makes the casket a personal memorial and provides valuable emotional closure. When open, it invites friends and relatives to participate and to share favorite memories. When closed, it’s a private area reserved for a family to honor a loved one and secure memorabilia. For the service or visitation, some families arrange a memorial table with personal items such as photographs, awards and personal effects that reflect the personality, accomplishments and interest of the person’s life, allowing others to share positive and happy memories.

The Memory-Safe Drawer

The Memory-Safe is a feature on most wood and some metal caskets. This is a personal feature that allows you place some personal possessions with your loved one and preserve precious memories with the Memory Safe® drawer.

Customized Interior Casket Panels

As a part of our services we offer families personalization of caskets, such as the above shown embroidered casket interior panel.  For loved ones with a hobby, sport or any interest we can personalize a casket to help make the funeral more meaningful for you.  We have many types of embroidering that can be done to help show you the value of personalization. Here are more samples of personalized interior panels you can select from.

Customized Casket Corners

On our Flex-line model caskets we offer you the opportunity to personalize the exterior of a casket with interchangeable custom casket corners. They come in many varieties catering to many personal interests. Here are more samples of custom casket corners.

Custom Engraved Casket Tops

Permanently capture the essence of a personality with casket engraving.

Memorialization

Following the funeral and final disposition, you may want to remember your loved one with some form of permanent memorialization which establishes a place to visit. Though memorials are often grave markers or monuments, in recent years, more contemporary forms have been planting a tree, purchasing statuary art or other personal memorabilia items included for home use.

Markers
Though grave markers are typically installed in a cemetery, there may be restrictions. For instance, some cemeteries require grass markers because it makes mowing much easier. Grave markers can be purchased from a  independent monument sales office. Most markers are made of granite and vary in price, depending on the color, size, amount of engraving, and the number of sides that are polished. It’s important to note that of all the final arrangement decisions that need to be made, this is one that can be postponed - weeks, months or even years.

Living Memorial® Tree Planting Program
When families select a Batesville casket, we can arrange for a tree seedling to be planted free of charge in a national forest, providing a tribute to the deceased. Since Batesville established the Living Memorial® program in 1976, more than 7 million trees have been planted, reforesting over 14,500 acres.

Memento ™ Chests
Nothing is more personal than your memories of a loved one and a Memento™ chest can enhance that remembrance.  A Memento™ chest serves as a small wooden receptacle for memorabilia to families - especially when filled with personal items such as a favorite poem or photograph. Memento™ chests come in a variety of hardwood species and may be personalized.

Keepsake™ Statuary Art
When you choose Keepsake™ statuary art, you create a permanent memorial - one that reflects your loved one’s character and your personal taste. Keepsake™ statuary art is often used to store personal items such as locks of hair or jewelry. Most are cast in solid bronze from original sculpted artwork and a variety of styles.

Choosing a Burial Vault

The value in the protection a lined burial vault affords and the peace of mind ..brought to families, both now and for years to come, is immeasurable.

The purpose of a lined burial vault is to protect the casket from the outside elements, settling, and to keep the ground intact for proper memorialization. To make an educated decision on the selection of a burial vault, it is important to first understand the differences between an outer receptacle (grave box) and a lined burial vault. A detailed explanation is found within the Construction Section.

What happens at the cemetery section explains the purpose of a lined burial vault, taking you step by step through the Interment Process.

To further define your burial vault selection, Product Line Section details the feature and benefits of each Wilbert burial vault.

Place of Rest

For the survivors, the final disposition is a strong, symbolic moment, a confirmation that they must let go of the person who died and look ahead to a changed life. Even if the place of rest is to take place in another city or country, our funeral home can assist with final details.                                         

Ground Burial
 

Earth burial, also known as interment, continues to be the form of disposition chosen most often in North America. During an earth burial, traditional caskets are placed in the ground or inside a vault. Many families prefer a grave site and marker where they can go to remember the loved one who has died.

Above Ground Entombment
Entombment in a crypt is one of the oldest forms of disposition, dating back to ancient times. Like burial, entombment provides a fixed, final resting place. When a body is entombed, the casket is placed in a mausoleum, an above-ground structure usually made of marble or stone.