Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The Functions Of An Undertaker In A Funeral Service

By Anton Alvarez

Undertakers or funeral directors are probably the most significant people, other than the family and clergy to be associated with the funeral service. These are people who aid you in conducting the funeral, right from the start to the end. The job of undertakers is such that they have to be on call anytime during the day and on any day of the year.

In the face of such a great loss, the bereaved family may not be able to take fast decisions regarding the service and final disposition of the body. This is where the undertaker steps in and takes over. He helps you decide the time, place and manner of the funeral rituals and services for the deceased. In Addition, the undertaker assists you in getting to grips with your loss, as he is by your side and organises the whole funeral, enabling you to show your profound love and respect for the departed person.

Preparation of a funeral service begins with deciding upon its time, venue and date and then informing the same to relatives and acquaintances. After this has been decided, the undertaker makes preparations for moving the body to the funeral site or where it is to be laid to rest. If a burial service needs to be conducted, then the undertaker also helps in choosing an appropriate coffin for the dead.

The entire organisation of the funeral service, from picking the flowers to choosing the headstone, including making arrangements for clergy, music, food, transport and hymns, is done by the undertaker. The wish of the family is always taken into account in all these preparations so that the deceased receives a funeral service in a manner he or she would have desired.

Finally, some undertakers handle the shipment and appropriate preservation of the body, and can arrange the funeral service in a foreign country if wished for by the family of the deceased.

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