Seven Contacts - Master Page
Ocean
Grove Memorial Home
118
Main Avenue, Ocean Grove, New Jersey 07756
Thomas
J. Saragusa, Manager
N. J. License No. 4036
VOICE 732-775-0434
- - OGMHognj@aol.com
When a death occurs there are immediate decisions and choices that must be made. One of the first jobs you will be faced with will be to choose and contact a funeral home to arrange for the services and ceremonies that the funeral director will provide for you. In the process that we call "The Funeral" you will commonly have several different and distinct opportunities and instances of contact with the funeral home, it's staff and your licensed funeral director. Those instances of contact are discussed below.The First Call
The Arrangement Conference
Visiting or Calling Hours
The Funeral Ceremony
The Final Disposition
Post Funeral Services
A PreArrangement Conference
The First Call:
One meaning of the first call is just that, your initial call to the funeral home to inform us of a death and to retain and initiate our services."First Call" also refers to that personal contact between you and the funeral director when the death occurs outside an institution, i.e., at a residence. The funeral director's first call is at the residence to take charge of the decedent's body and to transport it to the funeral home.
Regardless of the circumstances of the first call, whether it is by phone or in person, we will make the opportunity to ask some basic questions about what type of service you will want us to perform. We will usually ask whether or not the body is to be embalmed and the intended method of final disposition (burial, entombment or cremation) and we will set a time for an arrangement conference at the funeral home when we will discuss and finalize the services that we will provide. Finally we will try to answer ALL the questions that you pose to us and extend the invitation that you phone us if you have any additional questions prior to the arrangement conference.
The Arrangement Conference:
The arrangement conference usually takes place at the funeral home and is that meeting between the family of the decedent and the funeral director when the funeral services and ceremonies are discussed and finalized. The funeral director will also gather vital statistic information about the decedent for legal documents that we will file and newspaper notices that we will place on your behalf. We will provide you with the opportunity to ask all of your questions and we will explain all the options that you have in arranging for the services that you want. Ultimately, after all the arrangements have been discussed, we will give you a written estimated statement of all the services and products that you have asked us to provide for you.This conference often lasts for an hour and a half and sometimes longer. The more information we are given prior to this conference, the better we are prepared to keep the time of this conference to a minimum. If a pre-death arrangment conference was held, we can be fully prepared to get your final approvals and signatures and present you with the final written documents that are required at this time.
See Infosheet - The Arrangement Conference
The Visiting or Calling Hours:
The next time that you will meet with the funeral director is just prior to the time for calling hours (viewing, visiting or wake) when your family arrives at the funeral home in preparation to receive visitors. This time is often about an hour before the first scheduled time that has been announced in the newspaper, and may be in the early afternoon, early evening or early morning. Calling Hours are often set for two hours, usually between 2:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon or between 7:00 and 9:00 in the evening (or both) or perhaps for an hour just prior to a morning funeral ceremony, e.g., from 10:00 to 11:00.The funeral director will greet you and escort you to the visiting rooms and stay with you for a few minutes. We will discuss any emergent details that have come up unexpectedly and are prepared to answer any additional questions that you have. The funeral director or one of our staff will be available throughout the time that you are at the funeral home for the visiting hours.
The Funeral Ceremony:
The funeral is the time of and surrounding that formal ceremony usually lead by a clergyman. The ceremony is usually a religious ceremony although secular or humanist ceremonies are being arranged more and more commonly. Other ceremonies, civic, military and fraternal, might be scheduled during the time of the calling hours and are usually in the funeral home.The funeral ceremony, although usually in the funeral home, may be held at the church of the decedent or another family member and usually immediately preceeds the funeral procession to the cemetery. If the method of final disposition that you choose is other than burial, the clergyman will usually say the "Committal" part of the ceremony at the funeral home and you and your family and friends will take your leave directly from the funeral home.
If the body of the decedent is not present at the ceremony (for whatever reason) the term "Memorial" Ceremony is often used instead of "Funeral" Ceremony.
Again, the funeral director will greet you and make you feel as comfortable as possible prior to, during and after the ceremony. We will act on your behalf in the manner that we think you want us to represent you.
The Funeral Procession and Final Disposition:
After the clergyman finishes the ceremony, the funeral director will come forward to direct the friends and family to take their leave and (if burial is to follow) to prepare to go to the cemetery. The funeral home staff will move the casket and flowers to the hearse, assist the friends and family to their cars and form the procession to the cemetery.As a local funeral procession leaves the funeral home (or church) it will typically be lead by the funeral director in a sedan or perhaps a flower car. The officiating clergyman will often accompany him in the lead car. If separate transportation for flowers is necessary, it will follow the lead car. If a car has been arranged for active or honorary pallbearers, it will usually preceed the hearse...and the hearse will immediately preceed the family cars which will be followed by the rest of the procession.
Each driver is responsible for the safety of his vehicle and should know that no New Jersey Statute gives right-of-way to drivers of cars in a funeral procession.
Funeral processions to distant cemeterys are usually lead by the hearse (with the clergyman) followed by the family and friends.
At the cemetery, we will direct those who attend about where to go and what to do and after the final remarks by the clergyman (the committal), we will ask everyone to return to their cars. If a final announcement or invitation has been requested by the family, the funeral director will make that announcement. The funeral director will remain at the graveside until the casket has been lowered into the grave and the burial enclosure has been closed before he leaves the gravesite.
If cremation is the method of final disposition, the friends and family will be asked to leave the funeral home after the ceremony...usually none of the family or friends go to the crematory as there is nothing to see or do there. The clergyman usually performs the committal ceremony at the funeral home immediately after his formal funeral remarks.
In New Jersey, a licensed funeral director is required to accompany the remains of the decedent to the place of final disposition (cemetery or crematory).
The final disposition refers to the ultimate outcome of what happens to the decedent's body, e.g., burial or cremation...and the formallity of accompaniment to the PLACE of final disposition. The procession to a cemetery and the Committal Ceremony usually follows the funeral ceremony.
In-ground burial has historically been the most common method of final disposition in this country. Entombment in an above-ground ediface, a mausoleum, is a second type of "burial" and although it is quite uncommon, burial-at-sea is also a legal form of "burial."
In some cold climates, burial, must be delayed, sometimes several months, until the following spring. In New Jersey, burial is usually carried out on the day of the funeral ceremony.
Today, cremation, as a form of final disposition, is becoming more and more popular, but there always remains the question of what is to happen to the cremated remains...the ashes. Although there is no legal requirement as to the ultimate disposition of the "ashes," burial of the ashes is still the most common choice whether it be in-ground or in a niche in an above-ground columbarium. Scattering the ashes on land or in the ocean are common alternatives to the burial of ashes and if one decides to "keep" them, their true FINAL disposition should be anticipated and definitely planned.
Another form of "final" disposition is the donation of one's body for medical research, and again, the ultimate disposition of the remains, after the medical school is finished, must be forseen and considered. Often the medical school will dispose of the remains with the approval of the person who has authorization to control burial. The donation of one's body need not preclude funeral ceremonies and the establishment of a visiting time with friends at the funeral home.
In summary, the method of final disposition that you choose need not affect any other "post death service," i.e., cremation and donation do not necessarily exclude calling hours (either with or without the body being present) nor do they preclude a funeral ceremony, both of which will provide a measure of closure for many people.
Post-Funeral Services:
The funeral home need not cease to be a source of information subsequent to the accomplishment of the final disposition. Many additional questions will continue to confront you after "The Funeral" is over. You should not hesitate to contact us if you think we can be of any assistance to you...and don't be concerned about additional costs...we will inform you if you will be expected to pay for any additional services that were not discussed at the original arrangement conference.Don't hesitate to use our history and expertise as one of your ongoing resources. If you would like to discuss anything after the funeral services have been completed, please phone the funeral home for an appointment with the funeral director.
For more details about these services, see our Post-Funeral Services InfoSheet.
PreArrangments:
Whether or not you have a pre-death arrangement conference with the funeral director won't affect the final outcome of the funeral, but if you are able to discuss and arrange for the services of the funeral director prior to the actual time of need, both you and we will be better prepared to make the immediate time surrounding the death more bearable.If you don't make the opportunity for a PreArrangement Conference, perhaps you will recognize the value of doing so after you arrange for an non-preplanned funeral. For more details about prearranging a funeral, see our PreArrangement Master Partition.
If you'd like to discuss funeral arrangements either for yourself or for another, please phone the funeral home to make an appointment with a funeral director. We will meet with you either at the funeral home or an another convenient location if you choose.
There is NO FINANCIAL COST for you to schedule a pre-funeral arrangement conference at the Ocean Grove Memorial Home...the only cost is your time and the cost of that time is well worth the value that you will receive.
Ocean Grove Memorial Home (Fall 2001)
Links to SECONDARY PAGES associated with this Master Partition:
The Arrangement Conference - Post Death Services - PreArrangements
Links to our most frequently visited pages.
e-mail us at: OGMHognj@aol.com
Copyright 2001 and 2002-2007 - W¶W™ - William P. Walton, III - All Rights Reserved