Rev. Gail Chasin is now available to officiate non-denominational Memorial Services for your dearly departed. She finds a deep sense of joy in providing the family with comfort and direction during this difficult time.

It is important to recognize that funerals are for the living - for those who will suffer the trauma of losing a loved one. It is through the memorial service process that emotional needs are served for those who grieve. A memorial service is similar to other major lifetime ceremonies. Like a graduation, a wedding, a baptism, or a bar mitzvah, a memorial service is a rite of passage by which we pay tribute to an important milestone in our lives.

Regardless of the final disposition, whether it is burial or cremation, a memorial service serves a purpose. It declares that a death has occurred. It commemorates the life that has been lived, and offers family and friends the opportunity to pay tribute to their loved one. The gathering of family and friends for the visitation and memorial service helps provide emotional support so needed at this time. It also helps those who grieve to face the reality of death and take the first steps toward healthy emotional adjustment. Regardless of the final disposition, whether it is burial or cremation, a memorial service serves a purpose. It declares that a death has occurred. It commemorates the life that has been lived, and offers family and friends the opportunity to pay tribute to their loved one. The gathering of family and friends for the visitation and memorial service helps provide emotional support so needed at this time. It also helps those who grieve to face the reality of death and take the first steps toward healthy emotional adjustment. Regardless of the final disposition, whether it is burial or cremation, a memorial service serves a purpose. It declares that a death has occurred. It commemorates the life that has been lived, and offers family and friends the opportunity to pay tribute to their loved one. The gathering of family and friends for the visitation and memorial service helps provide emotional support so needed at this time. It also helps those who grieve to face the reality of death and take the first steps toward healthy emotional adjustment.

A memorial service should be personalized to reflect the life of the deceased and the special meanings family and friends attach to the deceased's life. Religious affiliation is of course the foundation. Services can also reflect the ethnicity, social affiliations, occupation, community work or other life activities of the deceased. Memorial services can be held at a private home, a house of worship, the funeral home, at the gravesite or crematorium.

If Rev. Gail is not familiar with a particular religious service, then it is customary for the family to inform her during the family meeting (if it's possible and time allows to do so) so that she can participate by following the traditions of the deceased.