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An effective funeral helps family and friends heal emotionally and psychologically from the death of a loved one. Even for an acquaintance, it can be meaningful to attend a funeral to pay respects to the deceased and to offer comfort to the family.

Practically, as well, publicly marking the death of a loved one will make casual social encounters easier, for the family and their acquaintances. If people know your mom has passed away and have already had an appropriate opportunity to express their condolences, it’s less likely you will be approached in the supermarket six months from now by someone asking, how’s your Mom?

For acquaintances as well as for family, there is comfort in coming together, a reassurance in the basic connection of humanity in supporting each other, affirming that every life matters and its passage must be marked by dignity and compassion.

The typical funeral at Cardinal Funeral Homes costs between $7,000-10,000. The exact price depends on the details chosen for instance, two days of visitation will cost more than one; a police escort for the funeral procession will add another $1,000 to the bill.

Embalming is only required if the deceased will be shipped to another country for burial. It is the policy of Cardinal Funeral Homes that the deceased be embalmed for open casket visitation.  If you prefer not to have the deceased embalmed, the casket would only be open for the immediate family for viewing and then closed for the public visitation.

As parents, we always want to protect our children from sorrow. However, denying them a chance to participate in official mourning doesn’t end their pain. Often, it just blocks an outlet for grief. Children are remarkably resilient and process death in their own way, often visually and through games. It can be healing for a child to see that their Nana mattered to other people as well.

The Ontario Funeral Service Association has a good pamphlet, Should Children Know About Death? Which explains how children understand grief at different ages. It is available for free from us, and from the Ontario Funeral Service Association.

Cremation is an alternative to earth burial or entombment: it does not limit the funeral in any way. Should you choose cremation, you will still have the same options for memorialization that any other family has. Cremation can take place before or after the funeral service. Typically, it is less expensive than earth burial. Depending on which cemetery is selected, the cremation cost may be less expensive than the purchase of a cemetery plot. There are coroner fees to authorize the cremation, an urn to purchase and possible transportation costs of delivering the urn to its final destination.