Every person who comes through the doors of McVeigh Funeral Home receives the same attentive service. First and foremost, we listen to you, provide suggestions if you need them, and offer heartfelt compassion. No other funeral home in our area knows you like we do. We’ve been in this area for a long time, and deeply value our connection to those who live here.
We keenly know that decision-making during the hours following the loss of a loved one is difficult. We offer the extensive information below because we know that many are not fully aware of the services available today. We hope it helps make your funeral planning just that much easier.
Funerals are an important step in the grieving process, as well as an opportunity to honor a life lived. They offer surviving family members and friends a caring, supportive environment in which to share thoughts and feelings about the death. Often funerals are the first step in the healing process. Please click on our options below for more details.
The advantage of choosing a traditional funeral is that it follows a familiar pattern so families will know what to expect. A traditional funeral can make it easier for families and friends, because there's an established etiquette for the different stages of the ceremonies involved.
Calling hours or visitation
A formal service in a funeral home or church
Procession with a hearse to escort your loved one to a cemetery
Earth burial or entombment of the casketed remains in a mausoleum
Some of the costs associated with a traditional funeral will include:
Personal services of the funeral director
Embalming, dressing, cosmetology and hair arrangement
Use of funeral home for visitations and the funeral service
Hearse and other funeral vehicles
Casket, vault and other goods and services
“One of the recognitions shared by humans throughout the world and over time is the importance of ritual” … In every culture, significant transitions such as births, marriages and deaths have been marked by rituals.” ~ Kenneth J. Doka
What are the Benefits of a Traditional Funeral?
Losing a loved one is truly difficult. Whether their passing was sudden, or due to a lingering illness, there are strong emotions to be processed. Grieving takes time, and must be honored.
A funeral or memorial service is one way to help those who are left behind take the first step in overcoming grief—that is, facing the fact that a death has occurred.
The services bring together friends and relatives who can offer comfort and support to each other at a time when it is needed most.
Whatever service is planned, it should be a personal reflection of the family and the person that died. We listen carefully to each family’s wishes and do whatever it takes to assist in creating an event that is meaningful and satisfying to all.
More than just a service for the person who has died, a funeral is for the loved ones who are left behind. Participating in a funeral can be a therapeutic act that actually starts the healing process. A funeral:
Assists in taking the first steps in the grief process by reinforcing the reality of death
Offers an opportunity to express feelings of grief
Encourages sharing of memories that celebrate and validate the life of the deceased
Provides support from friends and family and acknowledges the loss within the community
Creates a forum to share spiritual values and beliefs
Allows mourners a structured activity or “something to do” during a disorienting time
Serves as a rite of passage and important social ritual
“Funerals are not to benefit the dead, but the living. They have a number of unparalleled therapeutic benefits. As a rite of passage, the funeral assists you in recognizing the passing of your loved one, supporting you as you start your life without the deceased, and reintegrating you back into the social group as a person whose loved one is no longer alive.” ~ Therese A. Rando, Ph.D.
When a loved one dies, the first reaction for many people is to want to move through things as quickly as possible, to avoid any additional pain or discomfort. Often, they believe that not having a funeral will shelter themselves and their family from more pain. Nothing could be further from the truth. A funeral or memorial service acts as a catalyst for the grieving process, and without it, family members can feel stuck in the early stages of denial and anger.
Psychologists and grief counselors agree that funerals can be a healing experience that helps survivors move through their grief. There are many ceremonial ways to honor your loved one, and help you heal. A service can be as elaborate or simple as you desire; please call our staff to learn of all the ways you can help you, your family, and friends to deal with their loss.
“The funeral service, if done well, can be an important adjunct in aiding and abetting the healthy resolution of grief. Seeing the body of the deceased person helps bring home the reality and finality of death. (Even in cremation) the body can still be present at the funeral service, in either an open or closed casket; then the cremation is done after the service. In this way, the funeral service can be a strong asset in helping the survivors work through the first task of grief.” ~ J. William Worden, Ph.D.
Without a doubt, funerals can be emotionally difficult. However, they provide a remarkable opportunity to receive the gift of memories that others shared with the person who has died. Many families are pleasantly surprised to hear stories from friends and relations about their loved one that they had never heard before. Being surrounded by family and friends and learning how their lives were touched can bring great comfort.
We at McVeigh Funeral Home invite you to call us today at (518) 489-0188 to explore your funeral and memorial options during a private arrangement conference.
We take great care to offer services to those in our community who are seeking more personal ways to express grief and say goodbye to a loved one. We do not seek only to ‘dress up’ the traditional funeral services, but listen closely to our families, and create truly unique, completely personal services for your loved one.
Some popular ways in which our client families have personalized funerals include:
Display arts, crafts, or other personal artifacts that were cherished by the deceased
Lead the funeral procession past some of the deceased's favorite spots.
Hold the funeral in a favorite spot of the deceased, especially if he or she was not a churchgoer.
Playing favorite songs during the Calling hours or service.
Presentation of a personalized photo display, digital or video memorial.
Family and friends are invited to write letters containing their unspoken thoughts, which are then placed in the casket with the deceased.
Online guest books. All comments left by Web site visitors are noted to the funeral register for the family.
All veterans qualify for military funeral honors and many veteran benefits, regardless of their rank or the place of burial.
The following groups are also eligible for military honors:
Military members on active duty or in the Selected Reserve.
Former military members who served on active duty and departed under conditions other than dishonorable.
Former military members who completed at least one term of enlistment or a period of initial obligated service in the Selected Reserve, and who departed under conditions other than dishonorable.
Former military members discharged from the Selected Reserve due to a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.
Personalized Complete Care
Those who serve in the military may be eligible for special funeral and burial benefits because of their honorable service. Our staff is experienced in completing the necessary paperwork involved, and gladly takes the responsibility to do so – relieving the family of this burdensome task.
We at McVeigh Funeral Home, are completely committed to providing families of the veterans in our community with unsurpassed service.
Specialized Veterans’ Services and Merchandise
Our Veterans are honored at McVeigh Funeral Home. We offer unique burials for all five United States service branches. Each services includes a full Honor Guard and Flag Folding Detail. The services of a bugler may also be arranged. We pride ourselves on having a memorable service that verterans' find both impressive and respectful. Below are several options that we provide for the traditional veterans' funeral.
Flag Cases
Military emblems on caskets, vaults, and livery equipment
Printed prayer cards, memorial folders, obituary bookmarks, and Register books
Direct burial includes local transfer of the deceased to the funeral home, required authorizations, services of funeral director and staff, transportation of the deceased by livery to local area cemetery. Our prices do not include cemetery charges.
If your loved one dies far from Albany, we will help in returning their body to you. And, should you wish a loved one returned to their birthplace, or to another location for interment or entombment, we can make all the arrangements for you. Call us at (518) 489-0188 to discuss your needs.
Every family is unique. We listen not only with our ears, but with our hearts and will consider all your financial and emotional constraints in designing a funeral or memorial service that suits your needs. No matter what your budget or your vision for your loved one’s service, we’re here to help.
Please click on the bulleted points below for more information.
At McVeigh Funeral Home, we pride ourseves on being on the forefront of providing new an innovative ways for you to celebrate the life of your loved one. Please feel free to bring in your iPod or personal library of music on CDs and we can play them during the viewing as a tribute. For more information, please call us at (518) 489-0188.
Cremation refers to the way in which you choose to handle the physical remains of you or your loved one. Whether you choose burial, or cremation, you can still have services with the body of your loved one present - including a wake and/or ceremony.
You can also select direct cremation, which includes local transfer of the deceased to funeral home, required authorizations, services of a funeral director and staff, transportation of the deceased by livery to local crematory, an alternative container for cremation and the return of the cremains to the funeral home.
If you want to arrange a direct cremation, you can use an alternative container. Alternative containers encase the body and can be made of materials like fiberboard or composition materials.
We plan for every aspect of life: going to college or university, our career path, getting married and having children; buying a home. We plan our vacations, and our retirement. We buy insurance for when the unthinkable happens: fires, accidents and floods.
But, because most of us do not like to think about death - we avoid making important funeral decisions in advance. This is one of the biggest oversights made in a life well-lived. Such inattention can cost your loved ones money, time, and emotional strain.
During our longstanding service to the community we've repeatedly seen the confusion and heartache that can occur when no plans have been made. Conversely, we've also seen the peace-of-mind brought by thoughtful end-of-life preparation – not only for the one making the plans, but also for those who will be left behind.
Of course, pre-planning is a thoughtful gesture. But, it’s also practical:
It allows you to make unhurried informed decisions while your emotions are at rest.
It requires you to organize your important documents so your survivors will have the information they need, and so insurance or other benefits due you won't be overlooked.
And, if you choose to invest in a pre-payment plan, you not only protect against the higher costs tomorrow may bring, you also assure funds will be available when they're needed most.
Advance planning allows you to:
Choose a reasonable budget
Have the option to set aside the funds over a period of time
Funds set aside against future cost are held in a state-approved interest bearing trust account until required. Pre-payment is not required, however; many families simply prefer to record the details for future use.
Either way, there is no charge for making pre-arrangements.
What are the Advantages to Pre-Planning?
There are many advantages to arranging your funeral, cremation or cemetery services in advance:
You protect your family from having to make such decisions at a difficult time.
You make your wishes known to your loved ones.
You make your own decisions about the type of service, merchandise and price.
You prevent emotional overspending by family members who can only guess what you might have wanted.
Your funeral, cremation or cemetery prearrangement is transferable to other firms all around the country.
You lock in today’s prices for services that may not be needed for many years.
All of the ceremony, burial, or cremation arrangements can be made at one time in our offices, or in the comfort of your own home. Call us today at (518) 489-0188 for an appointment. Our pre-arrangement specialist will be honored to assist you in creating the perfect pre-need solution for you.
If you’d like to complete the process online, through our state-of-the-art interactive advance planning tool, click here.
