Are you unsure whether your family needs the services of a San Pablo mortuary or a local funeral home? Here are the differences and similarities between the two, so you know which best suits your needs:
Services Provided
Most people know what a funeral home offers. Their services are usually comprehensive, ranging from the transport and preparation of a body to the presentation of that body during a visitation or funeral service, as well as final transportation to the cemetery or mausoleum.
A mortuary provides far fewer services. The mortuary will typically receive the body and prepare it for burial. This is ideal for families who have burial plans out of town or plan to have their loved one’s body transported to a funeral home in another area and need the body prepared first.
Facilities
A funeral home is more than just a place to prepare a body for burial. These properties usually also have rooms for receiving guests and mourners, both for smaller visitation services and large, formal funerals. They may also have public restrooms, private visiting rooms for family members, and areas for preparing and serving refreshments for guests.
A San Pablo mortuary is typically a stripped-back operation when compared to a funeral home. They generally do not have facilities onsite for hosting a funeral or visitation service, although they may work with a funeral home that does.
Role in the Funeral Process
Funeral homes and mortuaries also play different roles in the funeral process, although their roles have some overlap. While a mortuary is a behind-the-scenes operation that prepares bodies for a respectful burial, a funeral home is set up to act as a central hub for every step of the burial process. You may work with a funeral home through every step, or you may work with a mortuary and then hand things off to a funeral home afterward.
A family typically chooses to work with a mortuary if they have specialty needs or simply want a body prepared for burial without a service. If you need more information on the arrangements available at each facility, contact St. Joseph Cemetery & Funeral Center to learn more.
