Memorial Tips for Veterans 

Choosing a cremation service in Metairie, LA might seem impersonal or clinical at first. But, in reality, cremations give you a lot of leeway to plan a unique, meaningful and respectful memorial or service for your lost loved one and veteran. In fact, cremations make it simple to make sure your deceased loved one’s memorial service is unique to him or her, especially if your lost loved one was a veteran.  

Memorial services are for both the living and the dead, as they help honor the deceased while providing a healthy and constructive place for the living to grieve. An ideal service helps you and your loved ones mourn the loss while bringing together those that cared for the deceased so that everyone can pay tribute in a positive way. As it can be overwhelming to plan a memorial service for after a cremation, especially when you’re grieving the loss of a brave veteran, you can use these tips to help you plan a memorial service for your lost loved one after a cremation service:  

1. Honor the Veteran - Once you’ve chosen a day, you can start planning the specifics. There are practically zero restrictions on what services should or need to be, so feel free to get creative. Think about the deceased and what he liked, stood for, or is most remembered for and expand on that. Have a theme party, make video tributes, scatter ashes in a ceremony, or even do things the deceased liked to do. This is especially true if the deceased was a veteran.  Decorate the service with the veteran’s ribbons, metals, or photos from his time in the service. Have a military service with a bugle or flag folding ceremony. The sky is really the limit! 

2. Date and Time - One nice thing about cremation services as opposed to burials and funerals is that you don’t have a deadline or specific timeline. With a burial, you need to have the funeral service within a few days of death because of decomposition. With a cremation service, however, you have as much time as you want since the body is already broken down. You can easily plan memorial services at later dates to allow people to come from out of town, or to have it be on an important or meaningful day.   

3. Ask for Help - While planning memorial services can be bittersweet or even exciting, they also happen during a time of loss and can bring up stressful feelings. You might need help with the planning, and that’s alright. Ask for help from other family members or loved ones or hire professionals. Find a funeral home nearby that has experience with memorial services to help you plan your event with compassion and attention.   

Jacob Schoen & Son Funeral Home is here to help if you want more inspiration or guidance for a memorial service or want to learn more about your options for Metairie, LA cremation services. After all, the sky’s the limit when it comes to planning memorials for veterans for after cremation services.