SERVICES | John Dunlea Funeral

I currently offer the following three services:

Funeral Ceremony

At the heart of my work is the Ceremony of Departure, the Funeral Service and the process through which it is created. It is a collaboration between the immediate family of the deceased and myself which tells the story of the deceased, her life, through the people, music, poems, interests and idiosyncrasies that made it uniquely hers. The ceremony also provides an opportunity for family and friends to gather to mark the life and death of their loved ones and to support each other.

The ceremony is not invested with any particular spiritual identity or referencing. However, spiritual and religious beliefs (as many as are represented in the household or that were important to the deceased) can certainly be included in any individual ritual.

For a thorough explanation of how this process works please click here

Pre-planning

Pre-planning means organizing one's own funeral. Sometimes this happens on foot of a terminal diagnosis but anyone may choose to avail of this service. It can be done privately, uniquely by the person for whom the funeral will be held, or with the collaboration of friends and family. The plans are held by the funeral celebrant, funeral directors, and by the person concerned (it is recommended to inform your next of kin that you have pre-planned your funeral to allow for its easy execution)

Services of Remembering

There are many losses whose effects stay with us years, perhaps even decades after they occurred. They are common to the human experience and sometimes, for a wide variety of reasons, we may experience a desire to acknowledge them through a ceremony which holds personal meaning. These can be simple and private (lighting a candle in a place of worship for example) or we may find that something more consequential is required. I can help to create the ceremony which best serves your loss and the desire to acknowledge or honor it.