Are You Planning The Funeral Of A Person Who Took His Or Her Own Life?

Of course, any time an individual dies, there is sadness for the loved ones who are left behind. In some cases, say at the end of a difficult battle with a painful disease, or if the person who passes away is extremely elderly, there might be a feeling of relief and even joy mixed with the sadness.

If a person passes away because he or she took his or her own life, that often puts a very different picture on the death. Those who are left behind might have tremendous feelings of guilt and may be thinking words like What if I had been more involved? What if I expressed love more? What if I showed more gratitude? The list of questions is endless. 

Are you the person who has been asked to plan the funeral service? If so, you may likely be feeling both honored and overwhelmed. From being the main speaker yourself at the funeral service to setting up a display that represents the deceased person's life, here are some ideas that might help you.

The Funeral Service - Are you a member of the deceased person's immediate family? Maybe you are part of the extended family, or even a close friend. No matter your relationship to the deceased person, think of being the speaker at the funeral yourself. That way you can know that only appropriate things are mentioned in the talk. Consider sharing tender and even humorous anecdotes that will lighten the somber mood at the funeral.

Focus on the positive aspects of the deceased person's life. For example, was the deceased person known to do service in your community? That would be something good to share. Maybe the deceased person was a great actor. Talk about some of the work he or she performed. 

Think of scriptures that will add dignity to the service and that will be inspiring at the same time. For example, the twenty-third Psalm would be a very appropriate scripture for the funeral service of somebody who has taken his or her own life.

A Display - Another idea is to arrange for a display of the deceased person's life. For example, pictures from the time he or she was born until present time would be appropriate to have. Find pictures that show the person in a happy state to remind those who attend that there was joy in his or her life, too. Display objects that represent his or her life as well.

For example, if the deceased was a gifted artist, display some of his or her art. Display things like favorite t-shirts and objects that demonstrate the things he or she loved. For example, if the deceased loved baseball, include his or her baseball glove in the display.

You can also contact a funeral planning service to help you manage the rest of the details and make sure the service runs smoothly and peacefully.