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Traditional Services
We believe strongly in helping families choose the right service options at an affordable price. Our traditional services offer families experiencing grief a choice on how they want to memorialize their loved one.
Funeral Services
A funeral represents a purposeful opportunity to reflect on the meaning of a life that has been lived and to determine the impact of that meaning for the family and friends. There is no single proper funeral service. It is a time for human sharing in its deepest sense. You and the ones you love are at the very center of the process, and the choices you make will determine its significance for you. As you participate in the planning of the funeral service, you help create a meaningful experience for everyone.
It is the goal of Smith & Kernke Funeral Homes & Crematory to help people complete the relationship with the one who has died and to provide a climate that encourages each person to give and receive emotional support. During the funeral service, family and friends have the opportunity to relate to each other at the deepest levels and find mutual strength.
Complete Funeral Service
Traditionally, the funeral will be a complete funeral service. This includes a family or public viewing of the deceased. Following this will be a service, typically in the church or at the funeral home. This would be followed by the earth or above ground burial of the casketed remains. Caskets selected may cost from several hundred dollars to several thousands of dollars depending on the material the casket is constructed of. Many cemeteries require that a minimum grave liner be used to encase the casket when earth buried. These minimum liners are constructed of concrete and are designed to hold the weight of the earth, maintaining the cemetery property. A sealed vault may also be used. The vaults are also constructed of concrete and are designed to not only protect the gravesite, but are manufactured with inner liners that not only restrict the entrance of graveside elements (water and earth) but increase the strength of the vault.
Graveside Service
The graveside service can be another selection. This, many times, would follow a time of visitation at the funeral home. The casketed remains would then be transferred to the cemetery where a ceremony could take place at the graveside followed by the burial.
How Your Funeral Director Can Serve You
When a death occurs, your primary responsibility is to yourself and the ones you love. There are a number of things that require attention simultaneously. Regardless of the day or hour, Smith & Kernke Funeral Homes & Crematory is always prepared to respond to your needs quickly and competently. The funeral director's main function is to assist you with the necessary details of the funeral process. Among the services funeral directors provide are:
- Arranging funeral plans
- Securing necessary permits and death certificates
- Care and custody of the body
- Coordinating all details with the clergy
- Arranging the music you have selected
- Placing obituary and funeral notices in newspapers
- Assisting in arranging for burial or cremation
- Assisting in arrangements for cemetery space, grave opening and closing, flowers and monuments
- Arranging transportation for you and the members of your family prior to, during, and after the funeral
- Supervision of the funeral or memorial service
- All necessary arrangements for transportation, funeral service, and burial if the deceased is to be sent to a distant location
For more information about our professional services, please visit our contact us page. We're here to help.
