Often Asked
Are there differences between cremation & a funeral?
What do funeral directors do?
What is embalming and why do it?
What questions do children ask?

Creating Meaningful Events that Celebrate Life
What is meant by "Meaningful Events"?
What is meant by "Celebrating Life" and how do you do it?

Funeral Services
What is a funeral and why have one?
What kind of services are available?
Can funeral costs be controlled?

Cremation Services
What is cremation and how is it done?
What types of cremation services are available?
Who does cremation? What about cremation societies?

Planning Ahead
Why plan and pay ahead?
How to plan and pay ahead

Often Asked Questions

Are there differences between cremation & a funeral?

Many believe they must make a choice between cremation and a funeral. They believe cremation is a less expense ALTERNATIVE to having a funeral. In reality, cremation and a funeral are two different choices.

Cremation is a choice made regarding the way a body is prepared at the time of death; it does not take the place of a funeral. When thinking of cremation, the choice is between being cremated or being buried and either can be done in a cost-effective manner.

A funeral is a choice made regarding the way in which the death of an individual is acknowledged. A funeral can be held for both a cremation or a burial. Funeral services can be held in a variety of places. They can be as simple as one or two people meeting to remember the individual, or, as elaborate as a gathering of many people over a period of days. If cremation is chosen, the funeral can be held prior to the cremation, or following it.

We can assist you in exploring these choices - whether it is cremation or burial, and the many options available for funeral services. Return to top of page

What do funeral directors do?

The primary role of a funeral director is to help, and to serve people after they have experienced a death.

Funeral directors help the family plan the memorial service or funeral, and then take responsibility for coordinating those decisions. This includes matters such as: securing the location for the service; arranging for someone to officiate; ordering the flowers and memorial folders; providing the obituary and other information to newspapers; filing legal documents with governmental agencies; and, directing various aspects of the service itself. The funeral director is also responsible for preparing the deceased for the services and making sure the presentation fulfills the wishes of the family.

In all these activities, it is the concerned, caring service to families that is the hallmark of the funeral director. Advisor, counselor, organizer, and caregiver are just some of the roles which funeral directors play in helping you through your loss. Return to top of page

What is embalming and why do it?

Embalming is the practice of chemically treating the body of the deceased. This process retards the body's decay, improves the physical appearance of the body, and reduces the public health hazard.

Embalming is required by law, when the person has died of a communicable disease; if the body is transported across state lines; or when the burial or cremation takes place more than 72 hours after death. If these circumstances do not apply, the embalming is not required.

However, because the appearance of the body is so important, most families choose embalming if these is a public viewing of the deceased at the visitation, memorial service or funeral. And, for public health reasons, many facilities have a policy that requires embalming if a viewing of the body is held.

Any concerns you may have about the need for embalming can be discussed with our staff. Return to top of page

What questions do children ask?

When a death occurs, children need to be included. They will have questions that need to be answered, and feelings that need to be heard by an adult that cares about them.

They may ask questions like: "Why did Grandpa die?"

"Where did he go?"

"Was it my fault?"

"Will I die?"

"Who will take care of me if you die?"

Try to give children simple answers they can understand. Sometimes adults make the mistake of saying too much, or offering an answer to a question they haven't been asked.

In answering children's questions, be open with your feelings and encourage children to express their feelings. Let them know they can ask questions any time they have them.

Your answers to their questions are important, but what is more important is the love and concern you give them. Plenty of hugs, attention, and reassurance will comfort children of any age, even if they don't completely understand what has happened.

You can help children by encouraging their questions and responding to them with love, patience, and reassurance. Return to top of page

Creating Meaningful Events that Celebrate Life

What is meant by "Meaningful Events"?

A "Meaningful Event" is a memorial or funeral service that touches everyone present, with an understanding of who the person was that died, and what they lived for. The event brings meaning to people by allowing them to feel how that person touched their lives.

That person had a very special life: they had beliefs, dreams, troubles they dealt with, and things they loved that brought them joy. A meaningful event shares those things that were uniquely that person and allows people to acknowledge and feel that person's life.

It might be as simple as reading a favorite poem, or playing the person's favorite Dixieland version of "When the Saints go Marching In," Or even telling a joke or funny story they delighted in. For a child, it might be reading their favorite book, or having their most loved toys there. All those things that had meaning to the person who died, will give meaning to the service.

A "Meaningful Event" creates something that touches everyone with the gift of that person's life. Return to top of page

What is meant by "Celebrating Life" and how do you do it?

"Celebrating life" means acknowledging the life of the person who died. It means applauding their life and rejoicing in the fact that they lived.

The person who died, had an impact on everyone who attends the service. They had a special gift that everyone felt. It might have been strength, or humor, or stubbornness. Whatever it was, it was a quality that touched people's lives.

"Celebrating Life" means sharing memories of the person, and how they affected your life - the adventures or quiet moments you shared, the ways they inspired you, or little things they did to make you laugh. Memories can be funny, sad, happy, or bittersweet, but they all tell a story about the person. It is important to share those memories because it brings meaning to our life, and to the life of the person who died.

All people can create memorial or funeral services that are meaningful events. When planning the service, all you need is your knowledge of the person: special things they did, things they loved, and shared memories. We can help you plan an event that captures the spirit of the person, and brings meaning to everyone who attends. A few examples might help.

One woman, who drove her husband everywhere during their married life, wanted to drive the hearse to the cemetery. This was a gesture she could make that was meaningful to her and other people who knew them.

A family of one woman served cookies and donuts because every time someone came over to the woman's house, she made them sit down and have some with her.

Another woman, whose husband had died, put together a picture board that displayed photographs of him taken at different stages in his life - from childhood to a recent vacation they had taken. It made people feel good to see parts of his life that they knew and remembered.

You can "Celebrate Life" in a memorial or funeral service by encouraging people to share their memories of the person, and the meaning that person had in their lives.

We can help you create a service that captures the special qualities of the person, and helps bring healing to you and others. Return to top of page

Funeral Services

What is a funeral and why have one?

A memorial service or funeral is a gathering of family and friends who come together to honor the memory of someone who has died.

It is important to most of us to commemorate the significant events that happen throughout our lives. Baptisms, graduations, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and memorial services or funerals are all examples of important life events that we recognize through some form of ritual or ceremony.

Memorial services and funerals provide an important rite of passage. Similar to rituals which mark other transitions in life, memorial services and funerals provide a time for family and friends to acknowledge the life of the loved one, and share their feelings concerning the loss of this person in their lives. Coming together like this helps people accept the death, which is a critical part of adjusting to the loss and like other life events, they allow us to come together and help each other..

Memorial services and funerals can be as unique as the people planning them. While they are often held at churches, synagogues, or funeral homes, they may be held in any location requested by the family. Memorial services and funerals that remember the individual in personal ways can be very healing. We all carry memories, and it is helpful to share these memories through readings or music, or other kinds of participation.

Memorial services and funerals are an important ritual in our lives. They affirm our basic beliefs about life and death, and help us through our loss.

If you wish to talk with someone about memorial services or funerals, we will help you with any questions you may have. Return to top of page

What kind of services are available?

Memorial and funeral services can be as varied as the lives of the individuals they acknowledge. Every memorial or funeral service can be a unique experience which commemorates the life of a loved one or valued friend.

While Memorial and funeral services traditionally have been held at churches, synagogues, or funeral facilities, they can be held at many other locations: parks, a friend or family member's home, senior citizen centers, schools, or almost any public place requested by the family.

The memorial or funeral service can be a ceremony which acknowledges the person and involves family and friends. People can participate through music, reading, speaking, or sharing stories about the individual who has died. All the ways that the person loved life can be brought into the memorial or funeral service.

Probably the best answer to the question of, "What kind of memorial or funeral services are available?" is to ask, "What would you like the memorial or funeral service to be?"

We can talk with you and help you plan a memorial or funeral service, that expresses your needs and desires. Return to top of page

Can funeral costs be controlled?

The cost of a memorial or funeral service, like other family events such as weddings, can be selected within a range of prices. Unlike weddings, however, many people aren't familiar with the items and services that are necessary for a funeral.

The costs can be put into four categories: The items that are purchased for the memorial or funeral service; the professional services of the funeral director, who handles all the details of the service; the use of the facility or other location and its equipment; and finally, the transportation required for the service.

It is important to realize that within each of these categories, there are choices you may select based on your wishes for the memorial or funeral service funeral and your budget.

Funeral costs can be controlled. The costs can be tailored to your budget, without sacrificing your ability to create a service that will be meaningful to you and others.

One way to control funeral costs is to select items in the price range that fits your budget. Caskets, for example, can range from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. The difference in the price depends on the material they are constructed from. Soft woods, like pine or poplar, are the least expensive. Prices increase as steel, solid hardwoods, copper, and finally Bronze are used.

Burial vaults, which are usually required by cemeteries, are also available in a price range similar to caskets. Burial vaults protect the casket and prevent the grave site from shifting or sinking. The difference in price depends on the structural strength of the material used to construct the vault.

There are also options to choose from when selecting services. A simple service at the graveside is usually the least expensive. Because the costs involved with a memorial or funeral service change over time, it is best to contact us and discuss prices and options. We will send you our current Price List which itemizes many of the costs associated with memorial and funeral services.

We can talk with you and help you plan a service that meets your needs and budget. Return to top of page

Cremation Services

What is cremation and how is it done?

Cremation, like burial or entombment, is an option for how the body is handled after a death.

With burial, the body is placed in a casket and buried underground at a cemetery. If a body is entombed, the casket containing the body is placed in a mausoleum at a cemetery. Cremation is a process that reduces a human body to ashes. This process is done at a facility called a crematory. The body is brought to the crematory in a container and placed inside a device called a retort. When the retort is turned on, the high temperature inside of it reduces the body to ashes. Once the cremation process is complete, the ashes are removed. The ashes are then placed in a container and returned to the family.

Often, the family chooses to place the ashes in an urn as a memorial. Or, if the ashes are scattered, they may keep the urn in remembrance of the loved one.

With cremation, it is still possible to have services - like a visitation, a funeral, or a memorial - that allow family and friends to remember and acknowledge the life of the deceased.

It is important you have choices in how your loved one is remembered, and cremation is one of these choices. If you would like to have more information or if you have any additional questions about the process of cremation, we can answer them. Return to top of page

What types of cremation services are available?

The types of service you can have with a cremation are similar to when burial is chosen. The only difference is when you choose to have the services, either before the cremation or after.

Many families choose to have a visitation the night before a funeral. At a visitation the casket may be open or closed, depending on the wishes of the family. The next day, a funeral service takes place at a location chosen by the family; that might be at a church, funeral home, park, or another location. Then, after the funeral, the cremation takes place.

Another option is to have the cremation first and then have a memorial service at a chosen location. A third option is immediate cremation with no services for the family or friends.

With all these options, after the cremation, the ashes of the deceased are returned to the family. The ashes may be buried, scattered at a special area or placed in a memorial urn.

We can help you explore these options to create something meaningful for you and your family. Return to top of page

Who does cremation? What about cremation societies?

Cremation is an option offered by most funeral homes. While many people believe cremation is available only at a cremation society or crematory, this is not true.

A cremation society is simply a business that performs cremations for people. They may offer a membership, which entitles you to a small discount on their price for a cremation.

Funeral homes and crematories both offer cremations. We can handle the cremation and help you design memorial services that are most meaningful to you. We have had many years of experience working with families who choose cremation. So, if you would like to discuss cremation, or any other options, talk to us and ask for current prices and services. Remember, a cremation society is not your only choice.

We can answer any questions you may have concerning cremation, and talk with you about other services they have to offer. Return to top of page

Planning Ahead

Why plan and pay ahead?

Planning a memorial or funeral service within hours of a death can be a very difficult experience. There are many details to attend to, and critical decisions must be made, at a time when people are least able to make them. Planning a memorial or funeral service ahead of time, removes much of the burden from your family.

When you plan your memorial or funeral service in advance, or that of another family member, you have an opportunity to involve other family members and discuss your wishes with them. And, it allows you and your family the time to arrange for special and unique ways to acknowledge your life, or the life of a family member. Once the plans are made, this information can be put on file with us.

When planning ahead it is also important to decide if you should set aside money to pay for the memorial or funeral service. There are three primary benefits for paying a memorial or funeral service ahead of time.

First, there is the peace of mind you get, in knowing your children, or other family members will not be financially burdened with the expense of the memorial or funeral service.

Second, by choosing a facility that guarantees the memorial or funeral service, you have the assurance that the services you select today, will be provided in the future at no additional cost.

And the final benefit to paying ahead for a memorial or funeral service, is you are able to protect the money from being used for other things - things that may not be as important to you. Also, by making the funding irrevocable, the money can be safeguarded from the costs of a long-term illness.

Not all facilities offer a guaranteed funeral plan, even when you pay ahead. All Bradshaw facilities offer a service guarantee.

Knowing everything is taken care of will give both you and your family, peace of mind.

If you would like to discuss planning a memorial or funeral service, or if you would like more information, call and set up an appointment at Bradshaw. Return to top of page

How to plan and pay ahead

Memorial or funeral services may be planned in advance by setting up an appointment with our funeral director. You can meet at our facility, at your home, or at another location to accommodate others who may wish to join you.

Your plans can be very simple, with just a few basic ideas of what you would like for the service, it can be very detailed - specifying the music, the readings, or other special wishes. In either case, the funeral director will write down all the information you have given and keep it on file. If your wishes change, you can update your file as needed.

There are several ways to pay for a memorial or funeral service ahead of time.

One way is to assign an existing insurance policy as payment for the memorial or funeral service. If this is a good option for you, you can work with your insurance company and our funeral director to make the necessary changes to your policy.

Another method is to set aside money in a trust fund that will be used exclusively to pay for the memorial or funeral service.

The best option may be to buy an insurance product specifically dedicated to pre-paying the memorial or funeral service. Our Pre-Planning services offer this type of insurance.

If you would like more information, or help deciding which option of paying ahead for the memorial or funeral service would be best for you, we can sit down with you and discuss the choices. Call with any questions you may have. Return to top of page