Trust in Your Funeral Director

“Every burial involves more than 1,000 decisions that have to be made by the organizer during the worst five days of their life,” stated The Guardian.

This tidbit was highlighted by McGrath, Myslinski, Kowalczyk, and Nunn funeral services. Funeral Directors Frank Cagnina and Patrick McGrath spoke on the way that they ease the overwhelm. 

Their History of Service

This business has been finetuning their expertise since opening in 1901. With an ongoing combination of forces from trusted families, it came into McGrath ownership in the early 90’s. It takes about 20 employees to operate, five of which are full-time.

They described their service as a Swiss army knife that offers complete care to families during their time of need. They tackle every responsibility, big and small.

“We shovel the snow, and we do the embalming,” said Patrick.

Also, they write the obituaries, issue a death certificate, and honor the deceased’s wishes.

“We try to take the majority of the burden off their shoulders,” said Frank.

Doing Right by Our Family

This is accomplished, in part, thanks to the increased awareness of pre-arrangement. They serve about 200 families per year, and about half were pre-arranged. 

But not everything can be planned. One hurdle they might face includes challenging restorations for open casket funerals. For example, the deceased may have a gunshot wound.

“It’s nothing that can’t be overcome,” reassured Frank. 

Families seek closure at an open casket funeral, so there may be great anxiety around the final meeting. But embalmers look at recent photos of the individual and even recreate their personal makeup style. 

Personalizing Services

Further still, McGrath, Myslinski, Kowalczyk, and Nunn are happy to follow requests on how to best celebrate and represent a passed loved one. For example, they have buried someone in their firefighter outfit. They have played music during the wakes – like Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up”. They have stood the casket upright against the wall for traditional Irish wakes. They have provided memorabilia like programs, prayer cards, tribute videos, and any variety of trinkets (like lighters, money clips, and shot glasses with an engraving of the deceased’s fingerprint). They have permitted families to be as intimately involved as they wish; some cultures, such as in Hinduism, take a high level of personal responsibility for passed loved ones to the point of pouring the accelerant on the body before cremation.

There are many ways to honor a loved one. This is accomplished with greatest ease and satisfaction for families when the deceased has outlined their wishes.

Come Prepared

You wouldn’t prepare for a disaster without a backup generator, Patrick explained, so don’t confront death without a will.

“At a very minimum, just tell your family what you want,” said Patrick. “You can’t be afraid to talk about death.”

To prepare in-depth, consider using materials from FAMIC’s Have the Talk of a Lifetime – an outreach program designed to encourage families to talk with loved ones about their lives, values, and post-mortem preferences. 

Or just get guidance from a funeral home! McGrath, Myslinski, Kowalczyk, and Nunn are very experienced in having this talk. They say that they have the required abilities to read the room and use people skills.

People can also prepare for passing by investing in a life insurance policy and starting a trust through your funeral home of choice. Put away $25 per month and accrue interest until you at least accumulate the national median cost for a funeral – $7,848 (NFDA).

Even still, we wonder, why sort this out before it’s absolutely necessary?

“Everyone deserves a dignified burial,” said Frank. 

It will help tremendously if you choose a reputable funeral home. Frank recommended only considering those with a minimum of a 4.5-star rating. McGrath, Myslinski, Kowalczyk, and Nunn has a 5/5 star-rating on Google based on 12 reviews.

“When someone is dealing with grief and stress and they compliment you, you know you’re doing something right,” said Frank.

They find their work more gratifying for the fact that it’s challenging. 

They’ve been moved by their mission to maintain good work/life balance and have a sense of humor. These ways, they bring their best selves to the funeral home.

Dependability

And building a relationship with a funeral home as a “legacy family” – one who uses their services again and again – will help future generations rest assured. If you’re understandably rattled by those funeral homes with a bad reputation, then you’re welcome to see Forest Hill’s crematory for yourself. 

“Peace of mind is huge,” said Patrick.

“You need to have trust,” said Frank.