Looking for a funeral home?

Some people think that all funeral homes are the same or that the closest location is the best, however when you experience a loss and need to be guided through the death of a loved one you will quickly realize that all funeral homes are not the same.

Questions you should ask.

• Is the funeral home family owned? 
• How long has the funeral home been in business? 
• If a death occurs in the middle of the night and I call, will I get an answering service or a staff member located at the funeral home? 
• Does the funeral home own their own crematory or do they have a 3rd Party perform this service? 
• Does the funeral home include grief support groups, counseling and follow up services as part of all services? 
• If you are interested in pre-planning your funeral, do they have dedicated staff specifically trained for guiding families in doing this? 
• How do their prices compare to other funeral homes in the area? 
• Will the funeral home work within a budget that you may have? 
• What programs or services do they do to help remember your loved one after the funeral?

These are just some of the various questions to ask that should be considered when choosing a funeral home. We hope this helps you in your decision.

Angels

For each family member that we help, they will receive this hand-made Angel as a small token of our appreciation for putting their trust in us, and for allowing us to help them through the loss of their loved one.

Family Owned Funeral Homes vs. Chain Funeral Homes

Why Private Funeral Homes?
There was a time when death was handled in the home, and people took care of their family members' remains before the burial or cremation. With the advent of the twentieth century, however, death was taken over by private funeral homes, where the remains are embalmed and laid out for the services. However, the early nineties have seen the emergence of chain funeral homes, and this does not mean something positive for those who need funerary services. Consider the many reasons why you might wish to leave your loved ones in the hands of a small family-owned business rather than a chain.

Personal Service
Many chain funeral homes tend to have rotating staff. This means that the people who service you are not necessarily dedicated to their work, and they are not necessarily even familiar with everything that needs to happen. A family-owned funeral home is going to be able to offer your consistent and personal service from the beginning of the process until the very end. When you are grieving but still trying to show respect to your loved one, it is far simply and preferable to deal with a single person rather than a rotating series of people.

No Upselling
As distressing as it is, death is a business, and while a family-owned funeral service will of course need to stay functional, a large chain is in it for the profit margins. That means that when you go to a funeral home run by a chain, you are going to deal with constant upselling. This might mean that the funeral director pushes you for a longer service, more space and a better casket. Caskets are one of the chief ways that funeral homes make money, and some chains seriously push the more expensive caskets in an inappropriate way. They will use tactics like guilt and shame to convince you to buy a more expensive casket, even when it serves no purpose.

Community
If you are going to a family-owned funeral home, you are doing your bit as a part of the community. Some family-owned funeral homes have been a part of the community for generations, and they are a part of the fabric of the place. When you spend your money with them, you know that it is going right back into the community. On the other hand, when you spend your money with a large chain, you will find that you are dealing with a situation where your money leaves the town, and likely the state as well. If you are someone who places a high value in community, you'll find that keeping it local is for the best.

Better Prices
Though some people tend to think that going with the chain will always net them the better deal, this is not the case. Many family-owned services in the funeral business actually offer lower prices because they are dealing with local businesses and with local resources. The chain versions of the funeral homes are actually much more expensive because the prices are standardized across the board, often without any consideration for local expenses. The thing that chain funeral homes are depending on is that most people do not comparison shop when they are distressed, and they are more than willing to use this to their advantage.

More Individual Attention
A chain funeral home might have several funerals going at once. If you would prefer a ceremony where your loved one is the main focus of attention, a family-owned funeral home is what you need. When you want to feel as if your loved one's death and life matter and that the funeral home itself understands this, choose a private provider.

When you are thinking about the rituals of death and what need to be done, it is always important to remember that you have choices. Understanding what different funeral homes are like and how they function is an important part of the process.

(This article was taken from: www.funeralhomesguide.com)

Reviews!

Online reviews are becoming more and more valuable to businesses like ours. If you recently worked with Sonoran Skies Mortuary, please post a review on Facebook! By providing us with your feedback, we can better assist families going through similar, difficult situations. We would love to hear about your experience so that we can continually strive to provide the best services possible.

We would really appreciate it if you would take a few minutes and share your experiences on Facebook.  Please click HERE to visit our business Facebook page to leave a review!

Sonoran Skies Mortuary Facebook Page 

Thank you for your willingness to help us out!

P.S. If you don’t feel that you can provide a positive review of your experience with our funeral home, please call us right away at 480-985-4900 or email us at info@ssmortuary.com.  We pride ourselves in providing excellent customer service and if, for any reason, you don’t feel that this was evident in your service, please let us know.

CNBC presents "Death: It's a Living"

CNBC recently featured a special called “Death: It’s a Living," a one-hour documentary that tells the fascinating story of the $17 billion-a-year business, the funeral business, also known as “death care” industry.  
 
CNBC goes behind the scenes at a family owned funeral home in Colorado as it explores the rise in cremation and uncovers some unconventional ways to say goodbye to loved ones.

As the Boomer generation demands new ways to deal with the departed and new ways to celebrate their lives, the funeral business is reinventing itself for the 21^st century.
If you missed the airing of "Death: It's a Living," we have included a link to view the special below.  Take a look, and let us know what you think!

Did you tune in?  We'd love to hear what you thought!  If you missed it, please click on the photo below and check it out!