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Helping You Say Goodbye

Arranging a funeral for a loved one can be extremely difficult, especially given the emotional stress many people are under when someone sadly passes away.

Every life is precious. Every life is unique. At Joseph A Hey & Son Ltd we believe that the funeral which honours a life should also be unique. Assisting families to lay their loved one to rest in a dignified, sensitive and meaningful way is at the heart of everything we do. Whether the funeral is a simple, quiet family affair or a grand public event the supportive and compassionate staff of Joseph A Hey & Son Ltd will be there to assist and guide you.

You may wish a traditional funeral with a service at the church, funeral home or gathering at the family residence or other significant location- followed by a committal at the crematorium or cemetery. Or, you may wish to have a single ceremony at the crematorium.

Many families now choose to have a secular or non religious funeral. Our staff has contact with humanist or lay celebrants who will be able to conduct a ceremony in accordance with your requirements. Whatever the family’s wishes and requests to personalise and make the farewell ceremony more meaningful, you will find our people will always endeavour to fulfil your wishes with compassion and sensitivity.

Funerals often serve as a celebration of an individuals passions and achievements. Today many choose a bespoke or themed funeral that reflects the life of their loved one. Joseph A Hey & Son Ltd are happy to discuss any specific requirements or requests you might have and will always aim to fulfil your needs.

Many of our clients request our services for the planning of church based funeral services, whether a burial or cremation. Financing such a funeral can often become complicated as there are a range of disbursements which need to be considered, all of which need to be paid to each individual service provider.

In addition to paying for a burial plot and the service itself, many clients request a bespoke flower arrangement as well as other personal requests such as a horse drawn carriage to transport members of the family to and from the funeral service. Allowing us to take care of these arrangements on your behalf and provide a sole point of contact can ease the burden considerably.

Following the cremation of each coffin Joseph A Hey & Son Ltd collects the ashes and can scatter them in the crematorium’s Garden of Remembrance at no additional cost. Alternatively they can be collected by relatives to be interred in a family grave or scattered in a place requested by the deceased or that seems appropriate.

This can also be an important part of the grief process helping you move on.

As cremation is provided as a third party service, disbursements must be paid at varying rates across the country.

Spending large amounts of money on an extravagant coffin may sometimes seem at odds with the personality and wishes of a deceased individual. For an environmentally friendly solution, a cardboard coffin can serve as a possible replacement. We supply our own cardboard coffins, made from corrugated board and an internal lining that fulfils all practical requirements for either a traditional funeral or a simple eco-burial. Recycled materials make up 25% of the base and 75% of the pillow.

The funeral procession typically begins at the home of the person who has sadly passed away, though you may choose a different location if you wish.

Your chosen Funeral Director will arrive in good time, ensuring you can view any flowers and floral tributes before leaving for the service.

You will need to arrange for family and friends who are travelling in the limousines or guests who wish to follow the funeral procession to arrive at your home or the home or wherever the procession will start. This will ensure everyone is ready to leave for the funeral service on time.

It is also possible to choose a specific route for the procession to take. This may be comprised of a journey which includes treasured memories or personal landmarks.

Our Funeral Directors often lead the cortege on foot for a short distance before getting into the hearse. Upon arrival at the church or crematorium, they will lead the cortege on foot once more.

Your Funeral Director will ensure every detail has been taken care of in advance, from any music you have requested to the order of service sheets. They will co-ordinate with the person who is conducting the service and see to any final preparations before it begins.

We will provide sufficient pallbearers and ensure they escort the coffin with dignity and respect. If you wish to select your own pallbearers, the Funeral Director will be able to oversee these arrangements and ensure everything runs smoothly.

The Funeral Director will often lead you into the church or crematorium, walking either in front or behind the coffin before it is placed upon a wooden platform known as a catafalque. We will make sure that all of your guests have arrived before proceeding with the funeral service.

The order of the funeral service will be completely up to you, though please keep in mind that there may be a time limit at the venue you have chosen. The service may include popular funeral music and hymns, prayers, funeral poems and readings from family and close friends.

The funeral service can be held at a religious venue or at the majority of our crematoriums which provide a chapel for you to use.

The Funeral Director may stand just outside or at the back of the church or crematorium during the service. Once the service has finished, we will escort you and your family to the committal service, if you are having one.

Whether your loved one is buried or cremated, you may wish to have a committal service after the main funeral service. The committal service may be held at the same location as the service which proceeded it.

If it is being held at a different location, we will escort you and your family back to your limousines and the coffin or casket will be carefully placed back in the hearse. Your Funeral Director will walk with you if the cemetery or crematorium is close by.

For cremation, you may wish to have the main service at a religious venue and then have a shorter committal service at the crematorium afterwards, though both may take place at the crematorium if you wish. During a committal, there may be a closing of curtains, or the coffin may be gently lowered from the catafalque and moved into a committal room so it is ready for cremation.

For burials, the committal service typically takes place at the graveside of your loved one and may include prayers and readings. When you are ready to say goodbye to the deceased, the coffin or casket is lowered into the ground. You may scatter soil onto the coffin or throw flowers into the grave as it is lowered.

When the committal service concludes, we will give you enough time to place floral tributes next to the grave or in the crematorium’s garden of remembrance and pay your final respects. You will have time to speak to guests outside before being escorted back to your limousines when you are ready to leave for the wake or reception, if one has been organised.

You may wish to hold a wake or funeral reception after the funeral service. A wake often celebrates the life of the deceased and is typically less formal than the ceremony which precedes it.

The arrangements for the funeral reception may be published within an obituary notice or can be printed on the back of the Order of Service used at the funeral ceremony. If the funeral reception is going to be a private affair for family members only, then you should also provide this information in the obituary or Order of Service as well

Following the funeral service, our caring professionals will drive you and your family to the chosen wake or reception venue. We suggest including details of the wake and directions to the venue on the order of service sheets which are handed out to guests.

Joseph A Hey & Son Ltd will answer any final questions you may have before leaving, allowing you to gather with family and friends to celebrate the life of their loved one rather than mourn their passing.

When faced with the loss of a loved one, you will experience a range of emotions that are a normal part of recovery. At the time, it can be hard, perhaps even impossible to imagine your life moving once more in a positive direction, and the decisions you have to make so soon after a death can be painful. But a good funeral that pays fitting tribute to the deceased, allowing you to say a proper farewell helps, as does time and a kind, supportive and experienced funeral home.

There is nothing unusual about grieving, it is “normal” and most people will make a “normal” recovery without a great deal of assistance. Some, however, get stuck somewhere in the process of recovery and need help. Most of the time, bereavement causes a great deal of pain. When loss has occurred and the bereaved person has been diverted from the accustomed course of life, a number of psychological forces come into effect. There are a number different stages of grief that a person might go through before the process of recovery can begin. Not everyone experiences all of these emotions, and some stages may last longer than others. In other words, everyone is different. Those stages are:

  1. Shock: a feeling of numbness in which the rest of the world seems to be carrying on but with the person no longer being part of it.
  2. Denial: the strong feeling that death cannot possibly have occurred, as though some mistake has been made. This begins at the moment of loss and has its major impact during the first two to three days.
  3. Sorrow: the sadness that develops as the person becomes aware that an irreversible loss has occurred. This can be a sensation of physical pain or even guilt at not having been able to do more, which makes it important that an individual be able to express grief in a way that feels right for them.
  4. Anger: though irrational, people often feel anger directing it at a variety of things, from God (for letting death happen) to friends and family (for not understanding or for not being bereaved themselves), themselves (for not coping), and the deceased (for having died and left them).
  5. Recovery: after a period of apathy or depression, the bereaved individual becomes able again to make positive plans for the future and find pleasure in everyday experiences. Life will never be the same again, but it can now be lived in a healthy manner.

For any further questions about our affordable, dignified funeral packages, please contact us today.

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“Many thanks for a very professional job – the family are very pleased with the quality of the work.”
Wrenthorpe, Wakefield
“We would like to thank you for the excellent work you have carried out on the Memorial Wall at St. John’s Church Moor Allerton. The congregation have expressed their gratitude for your kindness in carrying out this work, as your contribution to the Millennium celebrations.”
Moor Allerton, Leeds
“… with grateful thanks for your prompt and efficient execution of the work.”
Collingham, Wetherby
“…Everything has been carried out to my complete satisfaction and the final result is just as expected.
Many, many thanks for all your efforts on my behalf.”
Failsworth, Manchester
“Many thanks. We are very pleased with the tablet”
Weymouth, Dorset
“…may I take this opportunity to express all out thanks for completing the beautiful inscription for my father on the memorial and replacing it before the funeral. it brightened what was a very sad day and we were able to place the floral tributes around it.
We are completely satisfied with your high-quality workmanship…”
Kelfield, York
“…My daughter & I are ever so pleased with the Memorial & thank you ever so much…”
Bury, Lancashire
“I would like to take this opportunity to say a most heartfelt thank you for your kindness professionalism and excellent workmanship.
We gave you very little time to complete the memorial for my mother, but true to your word you completed not only on time but ahead of schedule.
On my behalf would you please thank everyone involved.”
Leeds
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