Resources
Welcome to the Merchant Memorial Group. Here you will find information regarding funeral issues, guidance, where to turn, local cemeteries and church listings and a growing number of community support links.
Links
Recommended Reading
Most of us are not prepared to plan and carry out a funeral ceremony for the death of someone we love. And so much of the information available on this critically important subject fails to focus on what is most important: having a personalized, meaningful funeral that helps families and friends begin mourning after the death of someone they love.
In addition to the information contained in this website, a list of recommended reading is provided below to help you understand your choices and allow you to plan the most meaningful funeral for your loved one.
Dr. Alan Wolfelt
- Wolfelt, Alan, Creating Meaningful Funeral Ceremonies: A Guide for Caregivers, Fort Collins, Colorado: Companion Press, 2011
- Wolfelt, Alan,Creating Meaningful Funeral Ceremonies: A Guide for Families, Fort Collins, Colorado: Companion Press, 2011
- Wolfelt, Alan, The Journey through Grief: Reflections on Healing, Fort Collins, Colorado: Companion Press, 1996
- Wolfelt, Alan, Understanding Your Grief: Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart, Fort Collins, Colorado: Companion Press, 2003
Other Authors
- Fulghum, Robert, From Beginning to End: The Rituals of Our Lives, New York: Villard Books, 1995
- Long, Thomas G., Accompany Them With Singing: The Christian Funeral, Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009
- Metrick, S.B., Crossing the Bridge: Creating Ceremonies for Grieving and Healing from Life’s Losses, Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 1994
- Noel, Brook and Pamela Blair, Ph.D., I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye: Surviving, Coping and Healing After the Sudden Death of a Loved One, Milwaukee: Champion Press, 2008
- York, Sarah, Remembering Well: Rituals for Celebrating Life and Mourning Death, San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2000
Glossary
As the planning begins, you may be introduced to new words and terms that are associated with the funeral planning process. We have provided a quick glossary for your reference.
Arrangement conference - The meeting with the funeral director in which you discuss your wishes for the funeral and the disposition of the body
Burial - Also called interment, earth burial at a cemetery is the most traditional method for final disposition of the body
Celebrant - A person who provides personalized services to a family to create a meaningful ceremony or ritual during a life transition
Columbarium - An above-ground structure for final disposition of cremated remains
Committal service - A brief graveside ceremony held with the casket or urn present before it is lowered into the ground
Cremation - A form of disposition that involves reducing the body through intense heat to cremated remains
Crypt - An above ground burial site in a mausoleum
Direct cremation - Cremation without a funeral or memorial service
Embalming - A method of preserving the body for a number of days following the death, allowing the family to view the body and hold the funeral service on a day that is convenient for out-of-town friends and relatives
Entombment - Placement of the casket in an above-ground structure called a mausoleum
Funeral - The ceremony that honors the end of a person's life
Grave liner - An unlined outer burial container
Honorarium - The fee typically paid to a clergyperson or celebrant for officiating the funeral ceremony and to musicians or soloists for their contributions
Mausoleum - A small building in a cemetery that is like a burial plot above the ground
Niche - One of a number of recesses in the wall of a columbarium where the urn containing cremated remains is placed
Obituary - A notice in the newspaper that announces the death to the community, summarizes the person's life and invites readers to attend the funeral and/or make memorial contributions in the name of the person who died
Pallbearers - The people who carry the casket from the ceremony to the hearse and from the hearse to the gravesite
Urn - A small vase-like container specially designed for holding cremated remains
Vault - A concrete or metal container into which the casket is placed before burial at a cemetery
Visitation - A scheduled time for family and friends to see the person who died, perhaps for the final time
