Why Should you Have a Funeral?

Oakwood Memorial Park - Why Should you Have a Funeral?

Funerals are a centuries-old tradition, but have you ever wondered why? Or why you should have one for yourself and loved ones when that time comes?

Funerals are designed as an opportunity to express our beliefs, thoughts, and feelings about someone we loved. It is a chance for those gathered to acknowledge the passing of someone who meant something to us, and to say a final goodbye.

Additionally, funerals provide a sense of community support and a safe place for families and friends to express whatever feelings there may be, as Ryan Brooke, owner of Oakwood Memorial Park in Ottawa explains.

“Funerals are important because a funeral allows the family to realize the person has died, but you are not alone in grieving. It helps the grieving process in a healthy way. It gives them closure, but it’s not meant to be a way to forget.”

Although funerals are technically a gathering, it is important to remember they aren’t necessarily for the person but about them.

Funerals acknowledge the reality of death and for those left behind to begin the coping and healing process. It isn’t about forgetting but remembering. Sharing stories and fond memories are a way to honor someone who was a part of our lives. The funeral provides a formal place to do this.

Funerals are a way for a person’s legacy to begin to live on, and so is the burial. Whether with cremation or a traditional burial, the final resting place signifies something about the deceased and allows the process of healthy healing for family and friends to continue.

“Funerals allow people to see how many lives a person has impacted,” Brooke said. “It hopefully gives those remaining a realization that they too have impacted many lives. You are important to many people no matter how small a gesture it may seem.”

Oakwood Memorial Park provides the right space for your family and friends to gather. It is a place for them to remember, to heal, and to touch. It is a permanent place of record that the deceased was here and had an impact on people’s lives.

Oakwood has many burial options for generations of families to come. There is space for traditional burials, cremated burials, indoors, outdoors, above ground or below ground. Oakwood Memorial can be a part of your estate planning and help provide the right services and setting to honor your loved ones at the time of death.

For more information or questions, please visit www.oakwoodmemorialpark.net or call 815-433-0313.

Oakwood Memorial Park

2405 Champlain St

Ottawa, IL 61350

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