Classique: Trigard Memorials most popular style

TRIGARD MEMORIALS
If you haven't given a look at Trigard's Classique bronze memorials, it's time you do! Oxide finished frames and intricate corner accents on a background of Old World Brown combine to create lasting tributes. Plus, you can choose emblems (which reflect hobbies and passions,) words of endearment, a colorful, personal photograph and a vase to add a layer of personalization. Get started today and download the Classique order form. 

TRIGARD URNS
Most people recognize Trigard's Classique memorials, but did you know that this same beautiful look is available on bronze cremation urns too? Ideal for mantles at home or niches at the cemetery, this bronze urn is a lasting tribute to a life well-lived. For more information, call 800-798-4900.

Trigard introduces micro-columbarium for small cemeteries

Trigard Burial Vaults has created a columbarium no larger than the size of a traditional upright, granite memorial. Designed to accommodate the budget and space needs of smaller cemeteries, the Trigard Monu-Niche holds 12 cremation units, yet has the footprint of only 48-inches wide. Each unit can be used as a companion unit, so that the Monu-Niche can accommodate 24 loved ones. This unique cremation solution can be marketed to multiple families or as a private estate.

“It is an easy and affordable way for church and privately-owned cemeteries to meet cremation needs,” said Trigard Project Manager Blake Swinford. “The risk and commitment are minimal. Once cemeterians find success with a Monu-Niche, they can simply add more.” 

Sitting on a solid granite base, the Monu-Niche is designed to blend into the classical beauty in many cemeteries. It is also available in a 64-inch width and comes with personalized bronze cover plates. Built-in flower vases are optional. To learn more about Trigard, call 800-637-1992 or visit www.trigrad.com. 

Is your pet your child?

Ross Darby,
Director of Business Development at Trigard Memorials

I recently went to the PLPA College (Pet Loss Professionals Alliance) and I gained a new appreciation for how we memorialize pets. Memorializing pets is not new to me. My wife (pictured right) is in charge of the pet division at Sunset Memorial Park. She shares stories of families who will spend the extra dollar when it comes to memorializing their pet.

First, I needed to get a better understanding of what a “pet” is. A “pet” to me it is either a dog or a cat. Boy was I wrong! My wife helped a family who established a very high budget to celebrate a beloved rabbit. There was a full service and was no expense spared on the memorial. This caused me to re-think how I view pets and the grieving needs of the humans who love them. People all over the world have different types of furry, scaled, and feathered friends, and we in the death care profession must be able to meet all of their wants when it comes to memorialization.

Until recently, my experience in the pet market has been working with bronze memorials. I learned that pet memorials tend to be the most unique. Families love that we, at Trigard Memorials, can give them a 3D-relief bronze memorial AND add color to it. To these families, that kind of marker is a no brainer.

If you have a pet section in your cemetery, we offer beautiful pet markers that are attached to granite. We also create photo medallions in bronze that can be easily attached to existing granite or bronze memorials. (This is ideal for families who want to enhance what they already have.) If you have a niche unit for cremated animals, we provide fully customizable niche plates. We also offer personalized urns for the families that wish to take their beloved pet home with them.

If you do not have a pet section in your cemetery, it is usually easy to find unused space that you can turn into revenue for your business. If pet cremation is the only means of disposition that you offer, then Trigard’s urns or medallions are a nice personalized product to offer a family. Even if price is leading your families to choose cremation, we still find great value in the memorialization piece of the sale.

The pet market is relatively new to most of us, but I truly believe it is being under served and underutilized. There are opportunities everywhere! Families are beginning to realized that last visit to the vet office is not the last memory they want to have of their pet. That is where our industry needs to step in and use our expertise to provide healthy healing and closure our customers are seeking.

This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.

Don’t limit your customers’ colorful legacies

By Drew Edwards, General Manager, Sunset Funeral Homes 

Recently, a gentleman stopped in our funeral home and ask if he could talk to someone about a columbarium. I happened to be in the foyer, so I introduced myself and offered to answer any questions.

At first, I thought he was a client looking to purchase a niche in our cemetery located across the street. Upon further conversation, I learned that he was actually a board member for a nearby cemetery. He wanted to build a columbarium to drive new revenue to his cemetery. With the rise in cremations, he realized that even in his small town, the number of burials was decreasing each year. The cemetery was losing customers with every family that chose cremation.

Before entering our funeral home, this gentleman drove through our cemetery and found a columbarium that he liked.  It was one of our basic units. Each niche has a simple bronze nameplate on front.

It’s a nice columbarium, but I asked him if he had time to look at other options. After all, we have new choices that appeal to today’s families. He was hesitant. Without question, he was sold on the basic niche. But after a little discussion, he agreed to take a second look.

I showed him our “Storybook” glass front niche unit. This columbarium has bronze plates with photo-realistic portraits of the deceased, in brilliant full color. Each niche tells a unique story. It didn’t take long before this gentleman realized how many members of our community are looking for more than just the “basic bronze” nameplate.

The moral of the story is simple.

Each of us is unique and we like to memorialize our loved ones in different ways. Every life creates a wonderful legacy and we should never limit the consumer to a “basic” legacy. Give your families all the options, educate them and then support them in their decision. We were all given the precious gift of life. The question is, how do you want to be remembered? Basic or full of color?

This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.

Cremation is no less important

Ethan Darby,
Director of Business
Develoment

This article originally appeared in the March issue of Funeral Business Advisor.

Imagine you are with a family that has just lost their father. You listen to their stories and learn about his life. During the conversation, they mention that he wanted to be cremated because he was a simple man, and didn’t want to make his death a “big production.” So do you flip your presentation book to the direct cremation section and grumble to yourself about how no one appreciates good funeral service anymore? Or do you start to think creatively about how you might display the urn during the visitation?

A family who chooses cremation is no less important than a family who chooses a traditional burial. No matter what form of disposition they choose, the family has still lost a loved one and is healing from their loss. Their loved one was important, and their life mattered.

As a fourth generation member of a business in the funeral industry, I have seen many different celebrations of life, including traditional services with the body present and cremation services where an urn or photograph was displayed at the front of the room. And, do you know the difference between them? Just two things: the way the body was presented and how the family chose to memorialize their loved one. At both kinds of services, friends and family gathered to share their condolences and grieve their loss. Each included music, prayers, kind words and plenty of tears. Each honored a life well lived.

It seems to me that cremation has most of us in the funeral industry nervous about the future of our industry. We worry that when people choose to cremate their loved one, they are choosing not to use the services that we offer in either our funeral homes or cemeteries. But, that does not have to be the case. Instead of assuming the worst, we have to educate families on the importance of honoring their loved one’s life and creating a permanent place of memorialization to honor them.

Cremation offers funeral homes, cemeteries and memorial parks a lot of opportunity to increase and expand the variety of their product selection. At each national convention I attend, I see new products designed to help families memorialize their loved ones. 

But remember, when families come to you for a cremation, they may not know anything about their options. Just like we educate families about the importance of a burial vault and the different casket options, we need to educate them about the importance of a ceremony when cremation is chosen and the many unique memorialization options that cremation allows.

We need to make sure families know that when they choose cremation, they have just as many, if not more, memorialization options available to honor their loved one. Show them a custom bronze urn with photographs of a loved one or a piece of beautiful cremation jewelry. Tell them about how a memorial rock can hold cremated remains. Explain the benefits of having a space in a niche tower. Talk about in-ground interment options. Show them a memorial bench in a cemetery or a bronze plaque on a memorial wall.

No matter what form of disposition a family chooses for a loved one, they need to have peace of mind in knowing that their loved one’s life mattered. As long as the families we serve understand that cremation is no less important than that of a traditional burial, we can focus on what really matters – helping the family begin to heal.

Educating families on scattering alternatives

Blake Swinford,
Project Manager

For a lot of us in the funeral profession, scattering can be a taboo subject. When we hear of families scattering their loved ones' cremated remains without creating a permanent place of memorialization, it breaks our hearts. It breaks my heart in particular because I know, first hand, the consequences of scattering.

When my mom passed away, we scattered her cremated remains. Years down the road, I came to the realization that I needed a place to bring my family to honor the life of my mother. It was too late to include her cremated remains with her memorial, but I could still create a place to visit and share memories. I placed a memorial bench at Sunset Memorial Park, and now my children have a place to go to talk about grandma.

As supporters of permanent memorialization, we need to educate the families we serve about scattering alternatives. We never know what will happen to the beautiful field their loved one is scattered in. It could be a shopping center a few years from now.

If you're struggling with cremation memorialization options, check out the products that we offer. You can also call our Customer Service team at 800.798.4900 for more ideas.

This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.

It all began when two people fell in love

This article originally appeared in Catholic Cemetery magazine.

As the fourth generation of a family in funeral service, I started thinking about my final wishes at an earlier age than most people. As my fiancé and I get ready to be married this summer, I especially appreciate the need to make these plans as a couple. When you find that special someone to spend your life with, it is magical. You do everything together, from getting married and buying a house to having children and traveling the world. You experience the important things together and you make the important decisions together.

As cremation trends rise, so do the number of married couples who choose cremation. When they come to you asking questions, do you have the answers? Unless you educate the couples you serve about their memorialization options, many may choose lower-end products that don’t provide lasting value and won’t help their families begin to heal. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding companion cremation memorialization – and strategies for responding.

I want a traditional burial and my wife wants to be cremated. To be together, do we have to choose the same thing?

Many married couples have different desires for their final disposition, but they still want to be interred near their spouse. Most cemeteries can accommodate this request by placing the cremated remains in an urn vault. Be sure to double check with your state laws and acquire the proper documentation to place their cremated remains in a grave with another individual. Educate couples about the options in their cemetery of choice, and make sure to provide urn vault options with dimensions that will fit in the space available. 

Do we have to put our remains in a cemetery?

A memorial marks a place for family and friends to share memories and honor the life of their loved one. Where that memorial is placed is the family’s choice. You can explain to a couple that when you memorialize your loved one in a cemetery, you mark a public place for people to come and visit. It also helps record your loved one’s history for years to come. However, if you’d also like a private place to share memories and keep a portion of the cremated remains, many companies have created cremation alternatives that can be placed in a garden or in a beautifully landscaped yard, including memorial rocks, memorial benches or bird baths.

If we don’t want to be buried, our family needs to take the urn home or scatter our remains, right?

Scattering seems like a simple solution, but what is a beautiful field now could easily become a supermarket or gas station tomorrow. Many couples simply don’t know their options beyond scattering.

Maybe they have never seen a memorial bench or memorial rock. Take them on a tour of their cemetery of choice to see their options in person. It’s one thing to look at a picture of a memorial rock in a booklet, but another thing to touch and feel one nestled under a tree in a beautifully landscaped cemetery.

All of the bronze memorials I have seen are brown and generic. Do you have anything more personal?

As technology has evolved, the options for bronze memorial personalization have skyrocketed. Many companies are still using the traditional bronze casting to create traditional memorials, but there are an increasing number of more detailed options, including direct-to-metal technology. With this technology, memorial craftsmen can create exact replicas of images in solid bronze, capturing every important detail.

And to add another dimension, families can add color to their bronze memorials. Companies are using state-of-the-art color imaging equipment capable of capturing the exact color of their loved one’s hair or their perfect shade of lipstick.

If we both choose to be cremated, will our remains be together or separate?

Do you explain to couples about comingling remains? Some companion memorialization products include separate chambers for each person, while others have a single chamber. This can be an important distinction for a couple.

Much like a book, a memorial can tell a story of someone’s life. When it is shared with someone you love, it makes it even more special. I encourage you to be a resource for families looking into cremation. Educate yourself about the newest companion cremation options. Go to conventions, read industry publications and ask your suppliers for more ideas. And the next time you’re with a couple interested in cremation, be bold enough to tell them what they need to know.

Ethan Darby is the Director of Business Development for Trigard Memorials and is a member of the Darby family’s fourth generation. His family owns Trigard, Trigard Memorials, a memorial park and seven funeral homes across Illinois, Indiana and Arizona.

Why do we educate our families?

Drew Edwards,
General Manager,
Sunset Funeral Homes

Recently, I received a newspaper clipping from a fellow funeral director in Illinois. The article was written by a man who had lost his wife and didn't feel supported by the small community in which he lived. The gentleman was upset with his hometown for not sharing in his grief.

A few days prior to this article, her obituary was submitted and clearly stated that she was to be cremated and a public service was not going to be held. I had to wonder if his feelings would have been different if he would have had a public service and allowed the community to share in his grief.

As funeral professionals, it is our job to educate the community on why families hold funerals and why we create for our loved ones. Whether the ceremony is big or small, or their memorial is traditional or full of color, their story is worth being told.

If you would like us to help you create your next unique memorial, give Customer Service a call at 800.798.4900.

This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.

Happy Thanksgiving

Trigard Memorials is closed today

From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving. Trigard Memorials is closed today, November 28 and tomorrow, November 29 to allow staff to celebrate Thanksgiving. We will return on Monday, December 2.

This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.
 
Memorializing cremation benefits everyone

Jason Murphy,
Sunset Funeral Homes,
Director of Family Services

The popularity of cremation is on the rise, and as members of the funeral industry, we need to accept and adapt to the change.

Just because a family chooses cremation, it doesn't mean their loved one's cremated remains have to go home with them. I have worked with many families that simply didn't know memorializing their loved one in the cemetery was an option. It is our job to educate our families and more importantly, stress the value in memorializing.

Educating your families today will not only increase your cemetery revenue, but it will also help down the road with pre-need sales. Family and friends will visit the cemetery to share memories. The more they visit, the more it becomes a special place to them; and the more likely they will want to be memorialized near their loved one. Anytime we can increase the visitors in our cemetery, it increases your chance for future sales.

Looking for more strategies to talk to families? Call us at 800.798.4900.

This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/Thursdays.
 

Design tip of the week

Please write the text on the order form exactly the way it should be on the memorial. If you abbreviate, that is how it will appear in your layout.
 
This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/Thursdays.