Family to Family: The Charles F. Snyder Funeral Blog
September 14, 2023
Cremation has been around for thousands of years. It is required by some faiths and forbidden by others. Governments, charged with protection of the public health and aesthetic of the community, have laws governing both cremation and burial practices. One way to view burial and cremation is to look at each as a means to the same end. Dust to dust. Cremation is quick, and burial is slow. Either one is a legal and acceptable means to the end. Most people understand what burial is about, but questions remain about cremation.
read more
August 31, 2023
When a child falls and scuffs a knee, we kiss the boo-boo. A boo-boo kiss doesn’t really make the injury “all better” but, it is an important first step. It acknowledges the injury. The child is comforted that an adult is in charge. They know they are not alone. The hurt knee might need stitches, or it might just need some soap and water and a super hero bandage. Either way, the boo-boo kiss is the first step to things falling into order.
read more
August 17, 2023
Who fixes the toilet at your house? The self-appointed plumber or the professional plumber? Some call the professional before the not-so-handy handy person takes the lid off the tank. We know, from experience, what happens once that lid hits the floor and the tools come out. It all starts out calm, cool and collected. The …
Continue reading “Planning a Memorial Service: Do it Yourself or Call the Funeral Director?”
read more
August 3, 2023
Sometimes people make something appear so simple and effortless that we forget how complex the task really is. We begin to undervalue its accomplishment.
read more
July 20, 2023
“When I die, I really don’t care what you do with me. Just ___ ___ me. I don’t want you to make a fuss.”
Really? Are these the instructions you are leaving your family? Of course, it does not matter to you and you really will not need a fuss. You will be the dead one. They, however, care and they need a fuss. If you are thinking it is not so, take a minute and turn the tables. How would you feel if you lost them? Would you just ___ ___ them?
read more
July 6, 2023
Care of the dead is coming full circle. Before embalming came into practice, before funeral directing became a profession, and before funeral service was an “industry”, women cared for the dead. When honoring the deceased was home based the women washed and dressed the deceased and the men built the coffin and dug the grave.
read more
June 22, 2023
First, take a deep breath, there is no wrong decision. Burial and cremation are just different means to the same end. The end is decomposition of the human body. The shell that for a lifetime housed a soul.
read more
June 8, 2023
Close family and friends of the person who died will likely attend the visitation and funeral service. Others may attend both or may need to or prefer to attend one or the other but not both.
read more
May 25, 2023
The strongest and most compelling recommendations for advance funeral planning come from those who have just buried a parent. The daughter who just worked with her four brothers to put together a funeral for their mother will be the first to tell you, “If you have not already done so, please plan your funeral.” No …
Continue reading “Why Plan Your Funeral in Advance?”
read more
May 11, 2023
The thing about cheap funeral homes is the business model works for them and may not necessarily work for you. You, the person who has just lost someone you love. You, the person who needs the services of a funeral home. Cheap funeral homes hang their hat on volume. They are playing the numbers. Lots …
Continue reading “Cheap Funeral Homes”
read more
