Memorial Services

A memorial service is a service held without a body present or following a cremation, with the urn present at the service. Some families prefer public visitations followed by a private or graveside service with a memorial service later at the church or funeral home.

Because the body is not present at the memorial, disposition may take place either before or after the service. You can hold a memorial service instead of a funeral, or in addition to it. For instance, you might have a funeral in the town where the person lived and died, and a memorial service later in the town where he/she grew up.