Sometimes the thought of planning a funeral seems too difficult for those who've suffered a loss. We're here to help lighten your burden and remind you of the true value a ceremony can hold for you and your family. If you can imagine it, we will do our best to provide it. If you do not see the type of service you are looking for, please contact us, and we will do our best to meet your service requests. Also, we do provide all types of services relating to the death of a loved one out of town.
The Healing Power of Memorial Services
Coping with a loss is never easy, and services are an essential part of the recovery process. A Funeral service provides those who are grieving with a supportive environment in which they can begin to find closure, say goodbye, and come to terms with the loss. Gathering with friends and family gives everyone the opportunity to connect, share memories, offer words of sympathy, and create a lasting network of comfort and support as they start the journey toward healing and peace. No matter the setting, style, or direction you choose, our professional staff are honored to assist you in creating a service that reflects your loved one's unique life journey.
Burial Services
There are different elements you can choose from when arranging a burial, depending upon your individual needs and preferences.
Traditional Funeral Service
This is a service with the body present. In this type of service a person would have visitation (the night before or the day of the funeral) with a funeral service following (either at the deceased's church or at the funeral home), followed with burial at a cemetery. You may also select a traditional service without visitation.
Graveside Service
This is another service with the body present. In this type of service you may choose to have a visitation (the night before or the day of the funeral) with a graveside service (at the cemetery) following. You may also select a graveside service without visitation.
Immediate Burial
This is also a service with the body present. In this type of burial no services are held, the deceased is taken to the place of burial without any type of public service being held.
Cremation Services
We have a crematory on our premises and are able to provide all types of cremation services. The biggest misconception about cremation is that there can't be a funeral service or visitation. This is absolutely not the case - when you choose to care for the physical remains through cremation, we encourage you to consider holding a memorial service as well. There are many options open to you when it comes to honoring your loved one's life: you can provide a chance for friends and family to say goodbye through a final viewing before the cremation, and you can also hold a formal service either before or after the cremation occurs. After the cremation itself, there are a variety of choices for your loved one's final disposition.
Traditional Cremation Service
This is a service with the body present. In this type of service a person would have visitation (the night before or the day of the funeral) with a funeral service following (either at the deceased's church or at the funeral home), followed the next day with burial of cremains at a cemetery (some families choose to not bury their loved one’s cremains or wait until a later date to do so. You may also select a traditional cremation without visitation.
Memorial Service
In this type of service the body is not present. The body is cremated upon death and only the cremains are present during the memorial service. In this type of service you may also have a visitation with the memorial service following. Some families choose to go to the cemetery following the memorial service to bury the cremains.
Direct Cremation
In this type of cremation no services of any type are held. The body is cremated upon death and the ashes returned to the family for disposition.
Additional Information
Included with all funerals at Watson-Thomas Funeral Home is the book Begin Here: Helping Survivors Manage by Kat Reed. The book is also available to purchase any time at Watson-Thomas Funeral Home.
When a loved one dies, not everyone is sure what the next step to take after the funeral should be. At Watson-Thomas Funeral Home we don’t end our support to you when the funeral is over.
We provide this unique book (at no charge with all funerals) to help give support and direction in the tasks that follow somebody dying. Hopefully this book will provide guidance and help remove some of the stress that comes with these tasks.
Author Kat Reed has written the definitive book on what to do when a loved one dies, based on her own experiences after her mother’s death and her tireless subsequent research. The user-friendly book Begin Here is the answer to "Where do I begin?"
Begin Here guides survivors through the seemingly overwhelming practical yet necessary tasks that remain after a death, from residential to financial to personal. Leveraging Reed’s unique insights, invaluable suggestions, and organizational skills will help anyone simplify this process.
Begin Here is the hands-on user’s guide to help individuals (survivors) manage the day-to-day tasks after a death. It is categorized as self help manual for the death care industry:
- Tabbed Chapters
- Decendent Vital Statistics
- Support System Guidelines
- Residential, Financial, and Legal Tasks
- Form Letters (in back pocket)
- Additional Features
- Spiral binding for ease of use
- Bound-in pockets for keeping loose papers
- Checklists to ensure tasks get completed
- Calendar pages for follow-up
- Tips on delegating