Visitations
A visitation provides an opportunity for family members to be together in a neutral place, where they can share memories of their loved one.
It also provides an opportunity for friends and extended family members to offer expressions of sympathy to the family in a controlled setting. Without this opportunity, they need to accept condolences from friends and extended family members in uncontrolled settings like grocery store aisles, or while on a walk, or in another public venue.
It can be difficult to face receiving condolences from people who love us, but it is even more difficult to receive them over and over again in public places, because we have not provided these friends with the chance to do so in a controlled setting.
Sometimes people tell us that when they die, they don’t wish to have a visitation. The plans we make after someone dies are for the living, not for the deceased. It has been said that we don’t own our own death. Our death belongs to everyone who has loved us and we owe it to them to allow them to grieve in the manner that will best assist them.
Visitations also provide an opportunity for people to view the body if traditional earth burial has been selected. What many people don’t realize is that a viewing and a visitation are not mutually exclusive of each other. Any family may select a visitation without having the body present. In these instances, an urn or a photograph of the individual can be used as the focal point of the visitation.
Some people select to have visitations on the same day as the service for an hour prior to the service. This is popular for smaller families in particular. If families are larger and there are more people to visit with and express condolences to, it is recommended to have a longer period of visitation, which we can also accommodate.
Occasionally, families will have a visitation at their church or another venue. We are pleased to be able to help with that as well.
Visitations at Joldersma & Klein include our homestyle hospitality which features coffee, water, lemonade and snack refreshments like cookies, brownies and or dessert bars.
Our staff pays close attention to those who attend visitations by greeting them at the door and assisting them in hanging their coats or jackets.
Register books assist families in reviewing who came to a visitation.
Now that Covid restrictions have been lifted, we are able to have visitations again.
If you have questions about visitations and what might be best for your family, we are here to help. We can guide you into doing the right thing for your particular situation.
