Curran Funeral Homes now offer the Celebration of Life Tribute Service
The Celebration of Life Tribute Service is a unique, personal funeral option which allows your family the opportunity to honor their loved one. No two services are the same, as no two people are the same. Certified Celebrants, Norman E. Connors and James A. Kunkle will work with you to create a positive, uplifting remembrance.
Why did we begin to offer this option? Many families have no religious affiliation. At the same time, people want to become more involved in the planning of a funeral, and move away from what people would consider “traditional”. With the growth of social media, tribute sites for people that have passed away have grown exponentially, and a need arose. The feedback from these types of services have been tremendous, as the Tribute Services have been a valuable healing tool in the grieving process.
I’m a member of a Church; can I still have a Tribute Service?
Absolutely. Some families choose to have the Tribute Service the
evening before a Church Service, or incorporate the Celebration of Life
Tribute into their funeral. We are very flexible, and will assist any way
we can.
How does the planning of the Tribute Service work?
The celebrant
would meet with the family apart from the funeral arrangement
conference, to gather a biography of their loved ones life. This
information can also include; hobbies, interests, and stories. The focus
of these stories tends to be historical in nature, along with humorous uplifting tales that can be incorporated into the service. The Celebrant
asks questions to get a complete picture of their loved one. Families
can suggest favorite music to be played as well, both during the
visitation and the service. We encourage family members, friends and
colleagues to participate.
How long is a Tribute Service?
Generally 25-30 minutes in length.
Can religion be included as part of the service?
Yes. It is up to the
family to decide how much of a religious tone they would like to have.
If you are very religious, perhaps it would be best to have a Tribute
Service as part of a religious service.
Can you tell me about your Celebrant?
Norman Connors is a 2000
graduate of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, and has been
a licensed funeral director since 2001, in addition to being a Celebrant.
In 2008, he attended the Insight Institute Celebrant Training at the
University of Memphis where he received his certification. Norm joined
our staff in October of 2010. In his first four months with our funeral
home, more than a dozen families chose the Celebration of Life Tribute
Service for their loved one. Norman is known for his extra touches that
make a Celebration personal. For example, a family, through Norm’s
suggestion, chose to have a Hawaiian Luau for their mother and father
who sadly passed away within days of each other. During the visitation,
Norm had their wedding picture enlarged into a giant throw, and was
hung between the two caskets. While not every service will be this
elaborate, it shows how much the trends are changing and what is
thought of as a “funeral” can be unique for your loved one.
In January of 2012, James A. Kunkle attended the Insight Institute Celebrant Training in Key West, Florida, where he received his certification as well. James is a 2000 graduate of the Pittsburgh Insititute of Mortuary Science, and has been a licensed funeral director since 2001.
If you have additional questions, feel free to ask any of our staff members.
Here are some recent Testimonials of families who chose the Celebration of Life Tribute Service option:
After helping my Dad with my parents funeral arrangments, my Mom passed away two months later. We never expected anything to happen that soon. We talked to Norman about the Celebration of Life service and chose that. It was the best thing that we could of done. We left the service with a good feeling. It wasn't a sad and drawn out funeral. It highlighted the happy memories of our Mother. It truly was a Celebration of her Life! Norm did a wonderful job! I would reccomend this service to anyone. Thank you so much for a job well done!
-Carol Schnell
Norm did a fabulous job of capturing the perfect stories of our dear friends Chas and Laura and helping us all through a very difficult time in our lives. By allowing family and friends to contribute stories, and share memories and also include our dear friend Michael, the Celebration of their Lives was very helpful to all of us as we begin to heal and start our lives without these 3 very important and special people.
I will forever be grateful for the time and effort Norm put into making this a happy celebration of the life and times of Mike, Chas and Laura. Having the chopper, Makers Mark, Jack and all of Laura's favorite cookies and candy was so heartwarming and comforting to all of us. Thank you Norm for everything you did for us. Jim and I have decided that this is a much better and more fitting way to celebrate ones life and will definitely share our experience with anyone who wants to listen. You did a wonderful job.
-Karen and Jim Simmermon
The Celebration of Life for Chas Armitage on Saturday was the most profound funeral I have ever attended. Norman went above and beyond to make it special.
-Pam Leh
I want to personally thank Curran Funeral Home and especially Norman Connors for their help in my Mother's passing. They took care of everything for us in this difficult time. We chose to have the "Celebration of Life Tribute Service" and our entire family was very pleased. Norm really took his time to talk with us and really try to get to know my Mom so that he could give her a special tribute, and it really was!I loved the personal touch with the music, the poems and the stories. It was a very nice change from a traditional funeral service. I would recommend the "Celebration of Life" service to anyone. Thank you, Norman and the staff of Curran's.
-Samantha Reed
