Funeral pre-planning and funeral planning in Oakland often involve planning a graveside service. A graveside service involves many elements, which is why planning ahead is key.

When you map out a graveside service, the first thing to consider is what kind of cemetery you prefer. One key thing to think about is how much space the cemetery provides around the burial plot. You will want to make sure there is enough room for chairs for everyone who wants to attend the funeral services.

If you want to know more about funeral pre-planning service for yourself or you are planning funeral services for a departed loved one, contact Chapel of the Chimes Oakland . You can reach us at (510) 654-0123.

Funeral pre-planning is a comfort to families in their time of grief, because they can take solace in carrying out their loved one’s last wishes. Flower arrangements and location are two of the many details that must be considered, but they carry less weight than the decision of whether to be buried or cremated. As you or a loved one considers funeral services, keep in mind the differences between burial and cremation , and which fits best with your own beliefs and practices.

Burial
A burial many times follows a service in a funeral home, or at a church or the cemetery. While burial is generally more expensive, some clients prefer it because the body remains intact. Burial can occur immediately after death, after the funeral service, or before a memorial service. The body will be either entombed in a mausoleum or buried in the ground. The added costs of burial come from purchasing a plot and headstone, in addition to a casket and burial vault or grave liner.

Cremation
During the process of cremation, the body is burned until it turns to ash. Choosing this option does not preclude you from holding a traditional funeral service or a memorial service, as the body can be cremated immediately following death or after a remembrance. Many individuals choose to hold a service where the cremains are dispersed in a place that held special significance during their lifetime. Other options include burial in the ground, allowing the family to keep the remains or entombing them in a columbarium. Because fewer costs are tied to interring the cremated remains, this is a significantly less expensive option than burial.

If you need help with the funeral pre-planning process near Oakland, contact Chapel of the Chimes Oakland at (510) 654-0123. Whether the arrangements are for yourself or a loved one, we offer compassionate advice to help guide you through making the right decisions during a difficult time.

Purchasing a mausoleum for your family can provide a lot of emotional security for both you and your loved ones. If you’re planning ahead and have hesitations about a burial plot, consider the key differences that make mausoleums unique and whether they better suit your desires.

A mausoleum allows family members to visit as often as they’d like, at their convenience, in a private, climate-controlled building that is comfortable. The entire structure is indoors and above ground, and provides complete privacy. You can be certain the site will remain dry, which can be a concern with underground burial. By purchasing a mausoleum, you ensure your family can remain together after death and also bring honor to your family name.

If you would like more information about mausoleums near Oakland , please call us at (510) 654-0123. Chapel of the Chimes Oakland is staffed with caring, compassionate individuals ready to lead you through the process of deciding what final resting place best meets your needs.

The death of a loved one is a difficult time, but one that is made easier with shared grieving. When your friend or family member is an active service member who dies in the line of duty, the period of bereavement is unexpected. If you are unfamiliar with the components of a military funeral, expect to see the following standard traditions at the funeral home and grave site, performed with honor and dignity.

Funeral Ceremony
Most of the ceremony that is associated with military funerals is seen during the graveside service. In some instances, an honor guard participates in the funeral and is present at the funeral home. The rank and status of the service member, who might be active duty or retired, does not affect the funeral’s schedule or standards.

Graveside Service
Military funerals at national cemeteries include a basic, set list of elements that might already be familiar to you from news programs. First, the casket will arrive either by hearse or on a horse-drawn wagon and will be draped in a flag. It is then carried to the grave site by a guard comprised of six people. The pastor or chaplain presiding at the ceremony then reads a committal service. The American flag is lifted and held over the casket by the six pallbearers from the honor guard. Next, three volleys are fired by a seven-person squad, followed by a bugler playing “Taps.” As part of the ceremony, the honor guard folds the American flag with patience and solemnity. At this point, it is an option to pick up a spent shell from the volleys and place it into the memorial flag, once it’s folded. The ceremony concludes with the presentation of the folded flag, by the highest ranking officer, to the family. The officer makes a short statement expressing gratitude and presents a salute.

If the thought of visiting a funeral home to pay your last respects to a loved one is too much to bear, know that you can find grief support near Oakland. Call us at Chapel of the Chimes Oakland, at (510) 654-0123, to speak with someone who understands your needs for compassion and caring at this difficult time.

Grieving family and friends come together during a wake to remember a loved one, outside the formality of a funeral service. A wake is also known as a visitation service and is usually coupled with a separate funeral service.

Watch this video to learn how to plan for a wake so you allow family and friends the opportunity to pay their respects to a loved one, and to spend time together in grief. Wakes can be held in a number of locations, according to your family’s preferences and traditions. The site is commonly a family member’s home or the funeral home, although some families choose a location that was special to the deceased, such as a community center or gymnasium.

If you’re in need of advice from a funeral home in Oakland , please contact Chapel of the Chimes Oakland at (510) 654-0123. Our funeral home can provide compassionate guidance that helps your family to grieve and heal by making planning ahead easier.

Oakland Award Program Honors the Achievement

OAKLAND October 21, 2015 – Chapel of the Chimes has been selected for the 2015 Best of Oakland Award in the Funeral Home category by the Oakland Award Program.

Each year, the Oakland Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Oakland area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2015 Oakland Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Oakland Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Oakland Award Program

The Oakland Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Oakland area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Oakland Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.

SOURCE: Oakland Award Program

CONTACT:
Oakland Award Program
Email: PublicRelations@local-best.com
URL: http://www.local-best.com

When a death occurs, it can be a trying time for your family and friends. Whether the death was expected after a long illness or more sudden, there are a number of things that must be done soon after the deceased passes. In addition to planning a funeral , other details such as deciding between cremation and burial and writing an obituary must also be considered. Since a death can happen at any time, it’s a good idea to educate yourself about what you should do after someone passes away. Read on to learn what steps you should take after a death.

Notify the Authorities
Once a death happens, you must let the proper authorities know so that the death certification process can begin. Death certification is done by either a doctor or a coroner, along with a funeral director. You’ll need multiple copies of the death certificate to put all of the deceased’s affairs in order, including the estate and insurance. A funeral director will need to claim the body for it to be buried or cremated, so it’s often a good idea to have a funeral home in mind before a death occurs.

Work with Others
In most cases, the deceased’s body must be removed within a few hours after death. That’s why you’ll need to work with a funeral director to make sure that the body is transported properly and the remains are stored. As you speak with the funeral director, you’ll discuss the deceased’s wishes as to whether he wanted traditional burial or cremation. If the deceased didn’t leave instructions, it may be up to you or your family to decide what to do with the body.

Plan a Service
After a death, you will have to decide what type of service to hold. A funeral takes place before the body is buried, while a memorial service takes place after the body has already been cremated or buried. You can choose to hold a service at a funeral home, a place of worship, or even the cemetery.

When someone you care about passes away, let Chapel of the Chimes Oakland guide you through the funeral and memorialization process. Contact us at (510) 654-0123 to learn more about how we can help you and your family with funeral pre-planning near Oakland. We offer caring, compassionate service to help ease the burden during a challenging time.

Though death is a topic that many people try not to think about, it is a reality that must be addressed at some point. Pre-planning your own funeral can help ease the burden on your friends and family when you pass away, and ensures that your wishes will be followed. When you are funeral pre-planning, you’ll have to decide between burial and cremation. If you choose burial, you’ll then need to choose where you want to be buried. A mausoleum is a building that houses the bodies of the deceased, providing a final resting place that is safe from the elements. Instead of being buried underground, bodies are kept in crypts above ground. This method of entombment has been in use since Ancient Egypt, and is a choice of many people today since it is comparable in cost and also saves land from being used for burial.

Contact Chapel of the Chimes Oakland at (510) 654-0123 for assistance with pre-planning your funeral, and to discuss your options for mausoleum entombment. We are a full-service cemetery offering memorialization, burial, and cremation services near Oakland for you and the people you care about. Our friendly staff members will help you with all aspects of planning ahead.

There are no words to express our sorrow for the people in Paris at this time. The tragedy cuts to the core of what we do and why we do it. We are sending love and saying prayers for the people of France, their friends, and families.

When someone you care about passes away, you’ll need to choose a funeral home to assist you with the arrangements. As you plan a funeral, you may want to include readings during the service that had some importance or bearing on the deceased’s life. Watch this brief video to learn how to plan readings for a funeral.

In order to personalize a funeral service, you can ask friends and family members if the deceased had a favorite author or poet. If the deceased was a religious person, a verse from the bible or other spiritual text could make a good selection for a reading. Remember to keep the readings relatively brief so that everyone has a chance to pay their respects.

When you’re planning a funeral near Oakland, you can rely on Chapel of the Chimes Oakland to provide you with professional and courteous services. We are a full-service cemetery and funeral home and work directly with you. Call us at (510) 654-0123 or visit our website to learn more about what we do.