Why Have a Funeral?

Having funeral services at funeral homes in Syracuse, NY may seem unnecessary, especially as Baby Boomers are, in general, steadily abandoning traditional funeral rituals and adopting more celebratory gatherings with a party atmosphere instead. But funeral services have a definite purpose and they provide a lot of support for bereaved families.

First, a funeral service provides stability and order in the initial stage of grief. For some families, this may be the first death in the immediate family circle, and they are navigating unfamiliar territory. But the people who come to the funeral service to pay their respects to the deceased and to offer condolences and support for the family have, as a group, more experienced with death close to home, and they can be very comforting and calming as they figuratively hold the grieving family in their embrace.

Additionally, a funeral service has a general standard format that the funeral director can guide the family through planning without a lot of additional stress. The funeral director takes on most of the heavy lifting here, while the family provides the specific details for each part of the funeral service. Because the funeral service is an established ritual, it doesn’t add another disrupting element to what the bereaved family is already experiencing.

The second thing that funeral services do is help the grieving family to accept the reality that their loved one has died. It’s important to note that this acceptance is part of a layered acceptance that may take days, weeks, and maybe months to fully process and accept that the deceased loved one is really gone and is really not coming back. But the funeral service helps start that process.

Another aspect of funeral services that is very important to a bereaved family is that the legacy of the deceased loved one is validated. The funeral service is a chance to say that the deceased loved one’s life mattered, to say why it mattered, and to affirm that it will be missed, not only by family and friends, but by the community in which the deceased loved one lived, worked, and played.

Qualities of character, personality, temperament, and values are highlighted when talking about a deceased loved one. The story of their achievements and contributions to others unfold in the format of funeral services. And their impact – and what was lost when they died – is forever remembered by all the mourners who gather for the funeral service.

The fourth thing that funeral services do is remind us that life goes on. While the loss of a loved one changes everything dramatically for the grieving family, their lives will continue on in spite of death. And they will survive the loss, even though it will change each of them in different ways.

A final thing that funeral services do is spark change. Each person, when face-to-face with mortality, has to consider their own lives and what they’ve done up until now and what they will do until they meet the same fate as the deceased person. No two people will necessarily experience the same kind of change, but often big life changes happen because of funeral services. Some are positive, and some are sadly negative, but necessary. Either way, these changes shape our worlds going forward without someone we love and they happen, sometimes, whether we’re ready for them or not.

For more information about funeral services at funeral homes in Syracuse, NY, our compassionate and experienced team at Bagozzi Twins Funeral Home, Inc. is here to help. You can visit our funeral home at 2601 Milton Ave., Solvay, NY 13209, or you can call us today at (315) 468-2431.