In Memoriam - Amanda Bennett & Terence Foley

Product Description

A unique guide leads friends and family members through each step of planning a funeral or memorial service, from writing eulogies to arranging flowers; shows how to personalize a service; and explains the rites and rituals of various religions.

Product Details
* Amazon Sales Rank: #120422 in Books
* Published on: 1997-08-06
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 208 pages

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Amanda Bennett and Terence B. Foley have put together a comprehensive planning guide to help ease the difficult responsibilities involved in honoring a life that has ended. To organize a unique, and possibly even joyous memorial, Bennett and Foley encourage readers to consider what the deceased person was known for, to take into account the person's close friends and how they can be a part of the service, to think of religious issues (if appropriate), and to remember the hobbies and interests of the loved one. In Memoriam can be used for planning in advance, or can be an emergency manual when a death is unexpected, a time when it is not always easy to keep your mind clear and your thoughts organized.

From Booklist
To allay the trepidation with which many approach funerals and memorials, Bennett and Foley first discuss such basic considerations as letting the deceased's character and relationships influence the planning of any service and using any instructions the deceased has left. Each of three succeeding pairs of chapters consists of one chapter describing a certain general kind of service and one chapter reporting actual services of that kind. A fourth pair of chapters discusses the eulogy and then presents real examples. A chapter on such details as preparing a newspaper obituary, ordering flowers, and honoraria for hired musicians and clergy concludes the main advice, and an appendix handles choosing burial or cremation, buying funeral home services, etc. A generous anthology of suitable readings (mostly poems) and a broad ranging list of suggested funerary music occupy 81 pages between the main text and the appendix. A tasteful, accessible, calming adviser. Ray Olson