What are Funeral Visitations?

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Lifesong Funerals under funeral home
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Part of funerals at funeral homes in Tallahassee, FL may include visitations. If you knew the person who died or you knew one of their family members, you should make every effort to attend the funeral visitation, whether you plan to stay for the funeral service or not. Funeral visitations are included in the funeral process because they offer family and friends an opportunity to pay their last respects to the deceased, to give condolences to the deceased’s family, and to offer them comfort, support, and encouragement.

funeral homes in Tallahassee, FL

A funeral visitation is the most personal part of the funeral process other than the reception or meal that may optionally be held after the funeral service or burial, because it enables friends and family to talk with the grieving family and share memories and provide emotional support. Funeral visitations are most often held at the funeral home, but it could be held in a church or another place.

If you knew the deceased or are close to the family, it would be considered rude not to attend the visitation, unless the family has requested a private funeral visitation that they limit to a select group of people who are invited. Even if you are not a guest for the private visitation, plan to allot some time to visit with the family within a short period after the funeral.

Some funeral visitations included a viewing, with the casket open and the body of the deceased present. This is becoming less common in some parts of the country, but it is still very traditional in southern states. If you have young children you’d rather not see the open casket, then you can ask the funeral director, who is usually at the entrance of the chapel greeting guests, if there is some place out of the room where the children can sit while you go in (spouses will generally take turns going in so that the children are not unattended).

Don’t get to funeral visitations before the time they are supposed to start. Before the visitation hours begin, the family of the deceased usually spends some time alone with the deceased. This can be very emotional and the family should have privacy to grieve openly and collect themselves emotionally before the visitation begins.

Funeral visitations have the family of the deceased at the front of the chapel, standing beside the casket, and greeting the line of mourners. Don’t spend too much time with the family, because other people are waiting to speak with them as well. Sometimes one person will just keep talking and a family member may miss people they should speak to as they pass through. Make sure to say something to every family member.

Once you’ve gone through the visitation, move toward the back of the room and find a seat. It’s okay to greet other people you know at the visitation, but keep your conversations low-key and short.

When looking for a seat, go to the furthest row back that has empty seats and get a seat nearest the inside part of the row away from the center aisle. As the chapel or sanctuary gets full, if people having to climb over other people to find a seat, it becomes disruptive and is considered disrespectful.

Once you’ve sat down, you may talk very quietly with people nearby, but once the funeral service is about to start, all conversations should be stopped.

If you want to know more about visitations at funeral homes in Tallahassee, FL, our compassionate and experienced staff at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations can help. You can come by our funeral home at 20 S. Duval St., Quincy, FL 32351, or you can contact us today at (850) 627-1111.

Lifesong Funerals

We have nearly twenty years serving families of all backgrounds. These families turn to us in their time of need because they are aware that we are leaders in our vocation, have the highest level of integrity and are committed to providing quality service.

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