This was my first experience being in charge of planning funeral and memorial arrangements for a loved on. Funeral director Eric Granados was very patient, professional, and compassionate in helping my family and me to help tailor our memorial services in a way appropriate for us to honor my deceased father's life and say good-bye. His focus was to help us figure out what we wanted, to offer relevant information, and then help arrange to carry out those wishes.
At no time did he try to sell us services or merchandise we did not need. He was knowledgeable about religious issues. These two came into play in that we had decided for my father to be cremated. My brother and I were definitely going to primarily inter his remains in a cemetery, but since my dad was a gardener, had also proposed the idea of purchasing a small companion urn from which to spread some of the ashes in his garden at home. While Eric was willing to accommodate that wish, he did advise us that Catholic teaching discourages separating the earthly remains and also discourages spreading them on the ground; by doing so, he actually dissuaded us from purchasing the companion urn. However, his priority was unwaveringly to help us make arrangements that were consistent with our religious beliefs, personal preferences, and financial considerations, and that would best assist us in the process of celebrating my father's life, grieving for his loss, saying good-bye, and preserving his memory. He also patiently showed us the different options in the way of caskets and the rooms we could choose.
The actual memorial services aren't scheduled until a week from now, but already, even at this early stage, I am eternally grateful for Eric's sincere, faithful, professional, and compassionate service at this difficult time in my life. read more