A funeral parlour (also known as a mortuary) is a building that serves families who are mourning the death of their loved ones. It offers a range of services that are associated with preparing and arranging wakes, funerals and burials. It also provides a place for family members to gather together and offer condolences. The business is owned by an Undertaker and usually has a large sign on the front that reads ‘Undertaker’.
The funeral parlor has been a mainstay in American communities for over a century. Many were founded in Victorian frame homes or city brownstones, where the undertaker’s family lived upstairs and used the downstairs for the funeral home. As the industry evolved, additional rooms were added to accommodate the growing number of clients and the needs of the families.
Today, most funeral homes are much more than a house of mourning; they are full-service providers of complete funeral and cremation arrangements. In addition to caring for the body and arranging wakes and funeral services, they also help arrange memorial merchandise such as casket flowers, memorial plaques and photo albums, and grave marker inscriptions. They may also arrange for transportation to and from the cemetery or crematorium, if necessary.
A funeral home’s job is to provide comfort for the family and guests of the deceased. They are often in charge of arranging visitation and memorials for family and friends to come and pay their respects, and they may offer grief-management assistance with the use of a support group or other means of counseling. Some funeral homes even have grief-therapy animals, such as a dog, that can give families a furry shoulder to cry on.
Some funeral homes are also in charge of contacting the cemetery or other places of disposition to make arrangements, which can include figuring out fees, regulations and any requirements that must be fulfilled for a service to take place. They can also assist with completing paperwork, such as insurance claim forms.
The funeral home also prepares the body for viewing at a wake or visitation, which is a time for people to pay their respects and say goodbye. The casket is open or closed based on the family’s wishes, and people can often touch the body or leave flowers.
Some funeral homes even have their own chapels, which can be a wonderful space to hold a funeral or memorial service. The walls of the chapel are painted in light colors, and windows are large to create a feeling of openness and warmth. They also have beautiful wooden pews that can seat many people at once. It is a beautiful place for family members to gather together and share memories of their lost loved one. It is also a place where the younger generation can look to the future, while honoring their ancestors’ past.