Having two family members pass on around the same time can be especially devastating. Losing two people within a matter of days or a week is not unheard of in a large family, especially with one generation getting older. If you have two close family members who pass away at the same time, it may be easier on everyone and on expenses to plan out one funeral at a time. Here are some steps to properly planning a co-funeral.
Make sure everyone agrees
The last thing that you want is hard feelings during and after a funeral with the family that remains. If two members pass at the same time, contact their immediate family members to determine if a co-funeral is fine. If the funeral planning for both of them is in your hands anyway, take a vote with your family members. If everyone is ok with a co-funeral, proceed. If there is any backlash or hesitation, allow them to be separate, but on the same day.
Create a single program with each side dedicated to a person
Funeral programs give an obituary for the deceased plus give a run down of the funeral service event. Since you will be hosting a double funeral, use one side of the printed program for each person. Make sure each person is properly acknowledged and has a long obituary. Instead of putting the run down of the funeral on the interior, put this on the exterior and save the interior for photographs and notes from the family. This will allow each person proper space and it makes it easy to access the funeral service order, without opening up the program.
Get the same casket finishings
If your loved ones who passed on did not make any specific plans for their funeral, select caskets with the same finish. If one of them made a plan, get a similar casket for the second family member. If both of them had their own plans for their casket, make sure to follow their same wishes. Along with the caskets, select the same flowers and wreaths for each casket. This will provide a sense of cohesiveness and make sure that everyone gets the same monetary amount and attention at their funeral.
Allow one family member to speak for each person
Speaking at a funeral is an important event. Giving testimony about the life of your family member can help get through the grieving stage and can help celebrate their life. For a co-funeral, two family members should be selected to eulogize one person each. Have everyone nominate a person to speak for each of the people who have passed on. This will help with the interest of time for the funerals and it will also give each passed loved one the personal attention that they deserve.
To learn more, contact a funeral home like Parsippany Funeral Home Inc.
Share3 June 2016
Following the death of my grandfather, I found myself in the awkward position of having to write the obituary. I wanted to capture the spirit of him and list everything he was proud of in his life, including his family and work accomplishments. However, at the same time, I knew that I had a limited amount of space to work with. After spending hours researching obituaries, I finally felt confident in my skills and proceeded to write my grandfather's. In my opinion, it was perfect. Writing an obituary while you are grieving your loss is challenging, but I hope that my website helps you write one for your loved one that helps capture who they were as a person.