Traditional Funeral Services

The pain passes, but the beauty remains. -Pierre Auguste Renoir

Acknowledging the death of loved ones and going through the grieving and memorial processes are critical to healing. A funeral service involves these major functions: to accept the death and celebrate the life of someone and to bring grieving family and friends together to support each other.

In a traditional funeral service, a physical body is present in an open or closed casket. While the specific ceremony can be customized, the following activities are typical.

Typical Stages of a Traditional Funeral

• Visitation: This is also called a viewing or a wake. Guests pay their respects to the deceased by viewing his or her body and to visit with the grieving family. The visitation can occur at any time before the funeral service.
• Main Funeral Service: The service most often includes music, acknowledgements, readings or scriptures, a eulogy, prayer, and singing.
• Committal Service: This stage involves a very brief final ceremony to commit the body or cremains to its final resting place.
• Funeral Reception: Also referred to as the repast, this gathering is often held at a church dining area or reception hall. Usually food is served, and guests and the family enjoy a more relaxed, lighter period of sharing memories, laughter, and fellowship.

There are several options for the location of the funeral service. The most common ones are a church, the location of the gravesite, and the funeral home chapel. The Ritchie & Johnson Funeral Parlor has beautiful chapel facilities to accommodate services. Whatever your choice, our staff will work with you to ensure that the details of the service correspond with your desires.