Funerals With Memorial Services

The many reasons a family might want to hold both a funeral and a memorial service have to do with the multiple social and circumstantial considerations that death of a loved one brings. Circumstances of death, multiple religious representation, and multiple geographical connections are just a few examples of situations that might necessitate the two types of services.

Sometimes, if a person dies in another country and there is a delay in returning the body or the family cannot initially have the body returned, the family may want to proceed with a memorial service so that the healing process is not overly delayed. But once the body is returned, the family can go forward with a formal funeral to honor the deceased with the body present.

In situations where there is more than one religious or other tradition that cannot be celebrated together, a memorial service may follow a funeral at a later date. In the interest of burying the remains without delay, only one of the ceremonies would include the body. Similarly, a family may agree to hold an additional memorial service for a certain group of acquaintances who are tied to the deceased in a special way.

Geographic Connections

If the deceased lived in one city and his family decides to bury him in his home town in a different state or country, the friends in his city of residence might hold a memorial service, after the funeral services take place in the home town.