At Foothill Funeral in Glendora, California, we appreciate that every individual is unique, and their life should be celebrated in a way that reflects their personality and passions. When it comes to arranging a funeral or memorial service, there are many creative ways to honor and remember your loved one. In this blog post, we explore some innovative funeral ideas that can help make the ceremony a truly special and meaningful experience.
Category: Funeral Music
How to Plan a Funeral
If someone you love dies, you may face the difficult task of planning their funeral. This can be a challenging process to handle alone. But don’t worry. We are here to help guide you through it. In this blog post, we will walk you through how to plan a funeral, from choosing the venue to picking out the perfect outfit for the day of the memorial. Continue reading How to Plan a Funeral
Be Thankful You Aren’t Dead
People routinely discuss the many reasons we all have to be grateful each Thanksgiving season. Since our profession places us around death day in, day out, the main reason seems obvious to us. The thing you should most be thankful for? You are alive! But what about if you have suffered the death of a loved one this year? Are you finding it difficult to focus on what you have rather than what you lost?
Here is our Thanksgiving gift to you – designed to remind you of the good things to focus on as you gather around the table.
- Be thankful you are healthy. Even if you struggle with illness or disability, focus on the parts of your body that work well. When you’re dead, nothing will work.
- Be thankful for people you love and have loved over the years. While time and distance may have impacted your relationships, remember the good instead of focusing on the bad. And we are sincerely sorry if you did lose someone you love this year. Loss is hard, especially during the holidays.
- Be thankful you have a job, if you do. Or, if you don’t, be happy that you have free time to relax until you are able (or invited) to work. If you’re reading this blog post, you obviously have time to relax. Let’s face it; this isn’t required reading. So, enjoy.
- Be grateful for community. We hope you are part of something bigger than yourself. A neighborhood, friends, church group, family. While you may find lots of reasons for complaining, be glad you have relationships to grumble about.
- Be thankful you live in a free country. Not to get political on Thanksgiving. But whatever you think about America, things could be worse. You could live in a communist country or a depressed Third World nation. If you want to make a change, step up!
- Be thankful for entertainment. Do you know how many television channels there used to be? Four! And if the president was on, your night was shot. In America, we have numerous ways to kill time. Be glad for the variety of choice.
- Be grateful for music. And be glad you live in a time when you don’t have to buy an expensive two-sided LP because you liked one song. You literally have almost limited options for music downloads circa 2018. Enjoy.
- Be thankful you can read. Or, if someone else is reading this to you, be grateful you know someone else who can read who is willing to waste his or her time reading you a funeral blog about thankfulness.
- Be thankful for laughter. Whoever “they” are, they are right. It truly is the best medicine.
- Be thankful you’re alive. Believe us; not everyone is.
About Foothill Funeral & Cremation
Although we jest, we take death very seriously. We know your loved one was very important to you. And we value the opportunity to celebrate his or her life or help you pre-plan a service for yourself. Feel free to contact us now to pre-plan your own memorial or at your time of need (626) 335-0615. Or, if you prefer, reach us by email or drop by our Glendora showroom. Our relationship with United Methodist Church is the perfect place for mourners to host funerals and memorials. You’ll love the grandiose yet intimate setting.
We also specialize in helping with burial arrangements. And we proudly serve the San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Basin, Orange County and the Inland Empire. Finally, working in the mortuary industry since 1996, our reputation is one of quality, sincerity and trust. Please allow us to help you at your time of need or in the future. Call today (626) 335-0615 or contact us via email.
How to Choose Perfect Funeral Music
“Your life deserves a soundtrack.”
Pandora’s ad campaign is as true for your funeral as it is for your life. One of the many MP3 platforms which offers a personalized music experience, Pandora is one tool you can use to create a soundtrack for your memorial service. Along with other software, such as iTunes, Amazon Music, Napster, SoundCloud, Spotify and Google Music, Pandora encourages users to download songs for personal use, through either a monthly subscription or a minimal cost-per-song. Other ways to record a funeral playlist include albums, cassette tapes or compact discs (CDs). Or, you could hire a musician to play original music or covers. No matter how you choose to score your memorial, now is the time to consider the content.
What to Play at Your Funeral
People often ask us which music to select for their loved one’s service. And we are always happy to offer suggestions. But musical tastes differ greatly. While one person prefers classical or contemporary, another will choose Hip-Hop, Rap, R&B or Jazz. So, why not use your life celebration to share your musical personality with family and friends?
5 Tips for Selecting Memorial Music
- Remember the Deceased. What was their favorite song? Today, it’s perfectly acceptable to opt for songs that have significance to the person who died rather than standard funeral fare.
- Set the Tone. As you consider which songs to select, bear in mind that these will set the tone of the celebration, be it formal and somber or upbeat and celebratory. If you prefer an upbeat service, select songs that move rather than music that is more reflective in nature. For instance, playing Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young” will electrify the atmosphere, while the hymn, “Nearer, My God, To Thee” will encourage emotions be kept close to the vest.
- Ask. This is the perfect opportunity to consult with the deceased’s family and friends or others who knew the person well. This is one of the reasons we encourage pre-planning. Who better to choose music than the person whose life you are celebrating?
Check the music library. If you have access to the person’s MP3 player or CD collection, use it for insight into the type of music that was most meaningful to them.- Listen to the whole song. This is especially important if you choose music with lyrics. Listen, so the lyrics won’t surprise you. In case the lyrics aren’t easy to understand, you may even want to read the words by looking up the song online.
Popular Funeral Songs
In the not so distant past, mortuary directors provided a list of acceptable funeral songs from which to choose. So, if you are bound and determined to stick with the classics, you might consider the following songs, which the Telegraph determined in May 2017 to be the top 10 funeral songs, worldwide:
- My Way
- Angels
- Time to Say Goodbye
- You Raise Me Up
- Over the Rainbow
- Wind Beneath My Wings
- Simply the Best
- You’ll Never Walk Alone
- I Will Always Love You
- Angel
About Foothill Funeral & Cremation
With a beautiful showroom and offices located at 402 West Baseline in Glendora, we proudly serves the San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Basin, Orange County and the Inland Empire. With years of experience in the mortuary industry, we have worked hard to build a reputation of quality, sincerity and trust. We would be honored to help you at your time of need or in the future. Call today (626) 335-0615 or drop by our showroom.