Modern Funeral Homes and Services – A Breath of Fresh Air

In the 21st century, “celebration of life” is the new funeral service; funeral directors  focus on caring for the living as well as the deceased; and funeral homes, once characterized as “cold” or “depressing,” are now light, airy and inviting. Comfy seating, dining areas, multimedia rooms – many modern funeral homes offer features once unheard of.

Cremation Urns Reflect Modern Trends

Modern funeral trends can also be seen in the array of unique cremation urns that are designed to reflect the personalities, lifestyles, hobbies and beliefs of the deceased whose ashes they hold. Although most people still envision a classic Grecian urn on a shelf when they think of cremation urns, choices now include motorcycle urns, religious urns, photo-frame urns, and tiny keepsake urns, to name just a few.

Cremation jewelry is another popular choice, designed to hold a tiny portion of ashes in a pendant that can be worn close to the heart. And some companies, like Memory Glass of Santa Barbara, create memorial jewelry from cremains, while others incorporate thumbprint impressions of the deceased in their creations.

A New Generation of Funeral Directors

Much of the credit for these novel trends in funeral goods and services belongs to a new generation of funeral directors, like Leo Dumont III and Andrew Hall, both of Nashua, New Hampshire. Both men earned degrees in other fields before going to work in their families’ funeral homes, while many other young adults who choose careers in funeral services have no family connection to the funeral industry. What these 20- and 30-somethings have in common are the fresh perspectives they bring to their work – innovative ideas that help to breathe new life into the funeral business.