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 Question: Some folks are saying they want a memorial service when they die instead of a funeral. I thought a funeral was a memorial service. What is the difference?
Answer: A funeral service is a ceremony that occurs with the body of the deceased present. A memorial service is a ceremony honoring the deceased without the body present.
As more and more folks decide to be cremated, including myself, families must make decisions of whether to have a funeral before cremating the body, or to hold a memorial service after the body has been cremated. Memorial services are becoming increasingly popular as attitudes about death and dying are changing throughout the United States.
After giving considerable thought to the subject, I do not want my body to be observed after I die, except by my family, and even then, only right before my body is cremated. Because I will be cremated, I do not intend to be embalmed. My ashes will be interred in a memorial bench in the McAlpin Advent Christian Church Cemetery.
Whatever you decide regarding a funeral or a memorial service, I recommend that you consider all options as part of your preneed planning.
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