Services
Mary Eleanor offers a range of end of life services from sharing one more moment with our person to a full funeral service and many combinations in between.
Before deciding on what is best for our loved one and our own path ahead, we would encourage you to take a moment to reflect on the why? Of what you’re planning
There are infinite options and It can not be emphasised enough, that there is NO right or wrong way to do this. Our role is to walk alongside you, offering practical assistance, support, and encouragement to bring your vision to life.
Sometimes we have an idea of what we expect a funeral to look like. When confronted with arranging end of life care and celebration, it feels right to follow this vision. After transferring deceased into our care, we like to slow things down to allow time for you to make clear choices and decisions that honour both you and your loved one. Burial or cremation, choice of venue, catering options, attendance or live streaming; these are just some of the immediate practical considerations. Music, photos, booklets, flowers and montages and other personal touches come later.
When thrown into a newly found unknown state of being, all of this can be completely overwhelming. Being given some time to consider and adjust can be a healthy, beneficial part of the grieving journey. Our role is to support and assist you in making choices that you can look back on with peace and contentment. We can do as little or as much as you need, offering suggestions and support to enable you to bring your vision into reality. We have access to venues, religious or secular, various catering options, and a caring team who can work with you on the personal touches.
Pricing for our services is transparent and honest and we are happy to discuss this with you at any time.
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A Formal or what many would recognise to be a traditional funeral service incorporates all three elements of the service with the formality of the disposition of the body, whether it be burial or cremation. A funeral does not have to be austere or reserved, and there are many ways to bring lightness, respect and warmth into the ceremony.
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We often hear people say they don’t want a funeral after they die, no fuss no bother no big funeral or fanfare just let me go. That’s perfectly fine on a physical level, and a body can be cremated or buried before the life is celebrated. A memorial service is often requested if we want a life to be celebrated and remembered with joy and laughter. It can be held in lieu of a funeral service, and has the ability to mark the significant change in a reality; and honour the life that is no longer with us. But the hearts of those left behind can also be a little or a lot broken and there should be time, if only briefly, within the memorial service for pause and reflection which acknowledges this.
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With the rise of Direct Cremations often we do not get the opportunity to have a final moment of farewell and a parting of the ways with our loved one. For some there is peace around this choice, and this true and right. However for others the idea that after their death bed farewell they will not have another opportunity to say a final farewell rests heavily upon their hearts. We can offer you one more moment. This is a mutually agreed time where you come into our home and spend some time with your loved one before a simple committal and farewell takes place before disposition. A moment of reflection and farewell a few days following death can be hugely beneficial for our ongoing journey of grief and bereavement and the new life we now find ourselves leading.
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This the most traditional and personal way of caring for your loved one. The deceased is cared for at home by family. Generally after 3 days or so, family friends and community gather to celebrate and farewell their person before deposition takes place. During this time the coffin can be decorated, visitors come and go, tears are shed and laughter enjoyed. It is a full immersion into the transition experience from this world for all involved. Mary Eleanor, has the equipment needed and offers 24/7 support and care for families wishing to take this journey
An end of life service, we believe has 3 essential elements, and done well can make a positive contribution to another's ongoing healing journey.
To say farewell to the deceased, to wish them well and support them as they journey beyond the veil to all we cannot see and fully know.
To support and assist those who are left behind in their grief and bereavement as they come to terms with their loss.
Bring community together so we can connect, (or reconnect) with others who also have a connection with the deceased. To know or feel that even for a brief period we are a part of something bigger than just ourselves. We can all to often forget that we have an invisible woven web of connection and a gathering such as this is often a timely reminder that we are never truly alone
However before deciding on what is best for our loved one and our own path ahead, we would encourage you to take a moment to reflect on the why? Of what you planning