Do you know that you want something other than a traditional funeral for a loved one? Are there rituals that are more personal and meaningful to you and your family and friends? Where can you turn for guidance other than a traditional funeral home? The folks at Green Funerals Vermont can turn alternative ideas into reality.
Pre-Planning Services
Before the death of a loved one, we provide planning assistance to get one’s affairs in order and to ensure that final wishes of the loved one are expressed.
Prepare important documents – Write down the affairs of daily life. Who will take of Fifi and who is her veterinarian? Where are bank accounts and insurance policies? Who to contact upon the death of the loved one?
Document post-death wishes – What rituals will be and will not be performed? Is there wisdom or legacy to convey?
Plan After Death Logistics – Is your loved one currently at home, in the hospital, or in a nursing home? Will the body be transported? Will there be a viewing of the body for friends and family? Will there be a casket, coffin, shroud, or urn? Will it be purchased in advance? Will it be decorated by family and friends? Are there medical conditions to be aware of?
Plan Final Disposition of the Body – Is the final body disposition cremation, burial or medical donation? For bodies that will be buried, is there interest in alternatives to toxic embalming? Is there interest in a natural burial ground? Are there any specific burial or cremation instructions?
Plan Ceremonies – Will there be visiting hours, a wake, a funeral, a memorial service, or a burial service? Where? How is the room decorated?
Post-Death Services
After the death of a loved one, we assist in creating the rituals important to you. We also assist with the disposition of the loved one’s body according to your wishes. We support all types of funeral choices, but are especially known for family directed, environmentally friendly funerals and burials.
We assist family and friends to the level of personal involvement important to them. Some folks may want a simple scenario; for example one in which the body is cremated soon after death followed by a simple memorial ceremony. Some folks may want a sophisticated scenario; for example one in which the family decorates a wooden coffin, bathes and dresses the body, keeps the body in their home for a day for visitation, transports the body to a natural burial ground, and assists with the burying.
With you, or on your behalf, we perform these post-death services