A Family Business

Many funeral homes nowadays, especially in larger, metropolitan areas, are corporately operated with commission based salesmen at the forefront...but there are still a handful of family run businesses out there.  Outside of restaurants and construction/labor based companies, there aren't too many "Mom and Pop" operations out there besides funeral homes.  Family owned and operated businesses are slowly becoming a thing of the past, but some folks in our industry are trying to halt that narrative…

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Watchers... The Original "Funeral Directors"

When you think of the term "funeral director", many times you picture a man or woman in a black suit and tie, dress shoes, pen in pocket, with a stack of paperwork ready for signatures.  But that was not always the case.  In fact, the term for the original funeral director was called a "watcher" or a "layer" and most of the time were exclusively women.  These women were usually a member of the family or a close friend of the deceased, and were not compensated for their services.  Often, their…

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"Funeral Homes Slow To Put Prices Online" - NY Times

The NY Times recently published an article about funeral homes not displaying prices online. The article is very informative and I encourage all of you to take a moment and give it a read. It is an interesting article to say the least and I agree. Most funeral homes do not put their prices online. Maybe they have something to hide? At Beresford Funeral Services we have nothing to hide and prominently display our prices online. In fact, we also provide pricing of those funeral homes who do not…

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Grief Lending Library

We are pleased to announce that we will now be offering books for our families to bring home based on their family's situation. All of our books touch on different topics of grief for all ages and scenarios.Whether you are dealing with the loss of a parent, grandparent, sibling or child, there is a book for you. Of course there is no charge for this program, we just ask that it is returned back to us when you are finished reading it, or pass it along to someone that you think would benefit…

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Coping With Death Through The Holidays

The Holiday season can be particularly tough after the loss of a loved one. I want to encourage everyone to read this brief article on grief and the holidays and share it with your friends and family.  "Holidays are clearly some of the roughest terrain we navigate after a loss. The ways we handle them are as individual as we are. What is vitally important is that we be present for the loss in whatever form the holidays do or don’t take. These holidays are part of the journey to be felt fully.…

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Veterans Day Appreciation Post

In honor of Veterans Day this weekend, we wanted to share a post expressing our gratitude for those that defend our freedom. Here at Beresford Funeral Service, we can not express enough how highly we think of our country's veterans. As many of you know, Houston has one of the largest and busiest national cemeteries in the country. We have a service at Houston National Cemetery probably on average once a month. If you have never been, I encourage all of you to go out there. Personally, it is my…

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Snapchat Filters for Funerals?

Social media has become such a powerful force in today's day and age. From Facebook to Twitter, and Instagram to Reddit, we can all be connected instantly to one another to share thoughts, photos, and what we are doing. With all of these different ways to stay up to speed with one another, I'm sure you have all heard of the app called Snapchat. For those of you that do not know what Snapchat is, its a way to instantly send your friends and family a photo or video of what you are doing. I'm…

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Female Pallbearers Becoming More Common

  The tradition of pallbearers has a long history with deep roots. Historically, men have always been the ones chosen to be a pallbearer. But why?  Sometimes people generalize women as too weak to carry the weight of the casket. Others argue that women's "funeral" shoes are not ideal to walk and carry the casket. But in today's society we are seeing more and more women take up the responsibility of being a pallbearer.  If you are in charge of choosing pallbearers for your loved one's funeral…

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What do you want to be buried with?

No one wants to think about their own death, but something to potentially think about is what you would want to be buried or cremated with. Many people request things to be placed with them when they die, including many celebrities. Check out this list of famous people that have passed and what they were buried with. CLICK HERE Do you know what you want to be buried with? Email us some ideas and we will compile an anonymous list with some of your requests!

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Interesting Funeral Facts!

If you follow us on Facebook, you guys know that we post interesting funeral facts and news quite frequently. I have gathered up some interesting information that some of you might find very interesting. If you know of any weird or unusual facts about funerals, please share them with us. We would love to add to this list!   A properly folded military flag shows 4 stars, one each to represent the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines.   Taberger’s safety coffin was developed in 1829…

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