How to pre-plan your own funeral

Shirley HampsonBlog

Pre-planning your funeral has become increasingly popular over the past few years, so it’s no surprise the majority of questions we receive are about how to plan your own funeral. Many people are surprised to find that not only is pre-planning you own funeral simpler than most people realise, but in fact, there are many advantages to doing so. One of the biggest advantages of pre-planning you own funeral that causes many people to take the leap is the fact that you can decide how you want to be farewelled from this life.  When you pre-plan your funeral with Burnett Regional Funeral Services, we sit down with you and talk you through your choices. During our consultation we will discuss everything from whether you’d like to be buried or cremated, where you’d like to be buried or where (and if!) you’d like your ashes to be scattered to the music you’d like to be played, who you’d like to give the eulogy and who should carry your coffin. However, the biggest advantage to pre-planning you own funeral is that it takes an enormous amount of pressure off your loved ones during what will be one of the most difficult times of their life. Let’s face it, losing someone you love is so hard, and having to make decisions around funeral arrangements can often result in additional anxiety, stress and even arguments that could have been otherwise avoided. Pre-planning your funeral allows you to leave one final gift to your loved ones – the gift of not having to worry because everything is already done. I know what you’re thinking – that all sounds great, but how do I actually plan my own funeral? The first step is to get in touch with us. We will make an appointment for a member of our caring and friendly team to meet with you at your home or our office, where we will take pen to paper and help you to decide exactly what you want for you funeral. Based on the information we gather, we will be able to provide you with a quote and advise you on your payment options. If you are looking for a longer term payment option, we work in partnership with Flexible Funeral Benefits, a company based in Bundaberg, to help you pay for your funeral over time rather than in one lump sum. It can be helpful to start thinking about what kind of funeral or celebration of life you’d like before your initial meeting with us. Some of the topics we will discuss with you at our pre-arrangement meeting include whether you would like to be buried or cremated and where you would like to be buried or what should happen with your ashes, what kind of coffin you would like, whether or not you would like a funeral service, what kinds of flowers you’d like, any poems, reading and music you’d like, who you would like to do those readings and, of course, any … Read More

COCKING, Eric Desmond

Shirley HampsonFuneral Notices

Known as “Joe”. Late of Biggenden formerly of Coalstoun Lakes. Passed away peacefully on Sunday 26 December 2021, aged 90 years. Loving Husband of Ros. Much loved Father and Father-in-law of Kate, Denis, Donna, Lynda and Henry. Adored Grandad of 11 Grandchildren and 13 Great Grandchildren. Beloved Brother of Reg(dec’d), Joyce(dec’d), Wally(dçed), Victor(dec’d), Heather, Thelma, Don(dçed), Gwen and Ken(dec’d). Relatives and Friends are warmly invited to attend a Celebration of Eric (“Joe’s”) life to be held at the Coalstoun Lakes Lawn Cemetery on Monday, 10 January 2022, commencing at 10 am. “At Peace” COVID-19 regulations will apply. Hand sanitizing and social distancing are essential. Face masks are recommended. All attendees must sign in using the Qld QR App. Eric/Joe’s funeral service will be livestreamed and those wishing to participate should email: admin@jenlesley.com.au

RICE, Mary Ellen

Shirley HampsonFuneral Notices

(nee Currier). Late of Palm Lakes Care, Bargara formerly of Eidsvold. Passed away peacefully on Friday the 24th December 2021, aged 94 years. Adored Wife of Colin. Loving Mother and Mother-in-Law of Mavis, Eileen and Len and Glynis. Cherished Grandma of Bevin, Andrew, Darlene, Jason, Conway, Imogen and Great Grandma to eight great-great-grandchildren. Loving Sister and Sister-in-law of Tom(dec’d), Cathy and Ron. Beloved Aunt and Special Friend of her extended family. Relatives and Friends are respectfully invited to attend a Celebration of Mary’s life, to be held at the Eidsvold Lawn Cemetery on Friday the 7th January 2022, commencing at 10 am. “Forever in our Hearts” COVID-19 regulations will apply. Hand sanitizing and social distancing are essential. Face masks are recommended. All attendees must sign in using the Qld QR App.

KIRK, RONALD STEWART “Ron”

Shirley HampsonFuneral Notices

Late of “Yenda”, Gayndah. Passed away peacefully on Saturday the 25th of December 2021, aged 91years. Loving Husband of Daphne. Much loved Father and Father-in-Law of Roxanne and Andrew, Vicki and Scott, Sandra and Shane and, Kathryn and Tony. Adored Grandad and Great Grandad of Ryan, Jacque and Bryan, Aimee, Sarah, Clayton, Rachel and Brad, Joshua, Matthew, Darcy, Cameron, Cody, Sophie, Lachlan and Thomas. Relatives and Friends are warmly invited to attend a Celebration of Ron’s life, to be held at the Gayndah Showgrounds Hall, Spencer Street, Gayndah, on Tuesday the 4th of January, 2022. Commencing at 11.30a.m. “Forever in our Hearts” COVID-19 regulations will apply. Hand sanitizing and social distancing are essential. Face masks are recommended. All attendees must sign in using the Qld QR App.

CARLAW, BEATRICE MAY

Shirley HampsonFuneral Notices

CARLAW, Beatrice May (nee Anderson) Known as “Andy” Late of Bundaberg, formerly of Gayndah. Passed away peacefully on Friday, 12th December 2021, aged 95 years. Beloved Wife of Reg (dec’d). Much loved Mother of Brent, Peter, Wendy (dec’d), John (dec’d), Sharyn and Mitch. Dearly loved Grandma of Clint, Daniel, Bertina, Christine, Rebecca, Leah, Jessica, Chris, Andrea, Alex, Georgia and Sara. Loved Sister of Norma and Edna (dec’d). Relatives and Friends are warmly invited to attend a celebration of Andy’s life to be held at St Matthew’s Anglican Church, Gayndah on Saturday, 18th December 2021, commencing at 10 am, followed by interment in the Gayndah Monumental Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to Kids Help Line or Lifeline would be appreciated. Envelopes available at the service. “At Peace” COVID-19 regulations will apply. Hand sanitizing and social distancing are essential. Face masks are recommended. All attendees must sign in using the Qld QR App.

Law, Margaret Jean (nee Hartwig)

Shirley HampsonFuneral Notices

Late of Gunther Retirement Village, Gayndah. Taken into God’s care on Wednesday 8th December 2021, Aged 82 years. Dearly Loved Wife of Hector (Dec). Mother of Hazel, Jeffrey (Dec) and Darryl (Dec). Grandmother to their families. Aunt of Colleen, Jack and their families. Margaret will be privately cremated. “At Peace”

MATHIESEN, Mark Peter

Shirley HampsonFuneral Notices

Late of Gayndah. Passed away peacefully with his loving family by his side on Tuesday, 7th December 2021, aged 59 years. Adored Husband of Glenys. Cherished Father and Father-in-law of Lance and Kelly, Dean and Stephanie, Nicole and Ben. Dearly loved Pop of Shania, Jackson, Ruby, Declan, Delta, Cody and Lachlan. Only Son of Kevin (dec’d) and Robin (dec’d). Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend a celebration of Mark’s life to be held at the Gayndah Town Hall on Wednesday, 15th December 2021, commencing at 10 am, followed by interment at the Gayndah Lawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to Kidney Health Australia or Cancer Council Queensland. Envelopes available at the service. The funeral service will be live streamed and those wishing to participate should email: admin@jenlesley.com.au COVID-19 restrictions apply. Hand sanitizing and social distancing are essential. Wearing of face masks is recommended. Attendees will need to sign in using the Qld QR App.

Free download – Funeral Planning Checklist

Shirley HampsonBlog

Today we have a handy free download for you. We know how stressful it is planning a funeral – it is one of the most difficult and overwhelming things you will ever face in life. We’ve created this funeral planning checklist for you to help you to go through what you need to do, step by step. There are no catches – you don’t have to sign up to anything, you won’t get added to any email lists. We wanted to make this as simple and accessible as possible, so all you need to do is click on the button below and hit download.

LORD, Joseph

Shirley HampsonFuneral Notices

Known as “Joe” Late of Gayndah, formerly of Tasmania. Passed away peacefully with his loving family by his side on Friday, 3rd December 2021, aged 81 years. Much loved Partner of Shirley. Loving Father and Father-in-law of Joe, Tina, Darrell, Denise, Crystal, Gemma and their partners. Grandfather of Samantha, Alysia, Rebekah, Nathan, Dylan, Tiarna, Carter, Linkin, Stella. Cherished Brother of Pauline, Graham, Ann, Jill, Peter. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend a celebration of Joe’s life to be held at the graveside, Gayndah Lawn Cemetery on Monday, 13th December 2021, commencing at 11 am. COVID-19 regulations apply. Hand sanitizing and social distancing are essential. Joe’s funeral service will be live streamed and those wishing to participate should email: admin@jenlesley.com.au

Dealing with the loss of a pet

Shirley HampsonBlog

Pets can be a wonderful and much loved addition to any family, however many people find coping with the loss of a pet almost as hard as dealing with the loss of a human. While Burnett Regional Funeral Services does not offer services around pet death, burial and cremation, we understand how difficult this time can be. In this article, we’ll talk about things you can do to help cope with the loss of a pet, and different things you can do to memorialise your lost furry friend. When we lose a person that we love, other people accept our grief and are generally very understanding. Unfortunately, when we lose a pet we are not always met with the same level of understanding and kindness. Animals can be very central in our lives – they are our companions, our guides and sometimes our very best friends – however sometimes this cannot be understood by other people who can’t see why you are grieving over ‘just a pet’. As pet owners ourselves, if you’re grieving the loss of a pet, we see you and we understand. Many humans forge powerful bonds with their pets – they love you unconditionally and can make even your worst days seem better, so it makes perfect sense to grieve when they die. The Stages of Grief The stages of grief are just the same, no matter whether you’re grieving a human, an animal or a situation. Initially, you may experience denial and a feeling of numbness. This is a normal defence mechanism that protects you from the flood of emotions that come with loss. This may turn into anger – this is when reality starts to sink in, and start to feel the emotion of your loss. You might feel frustrated, helpless or cheated, and this may turn into anger directed at yourself, someone or something else or even the animal that has passed away. With time, anger may give way to bargaining. You might start to think “what if I did something differently” or “If only I had done…”. You might even find yourself trying to make a deal with a higher power, and again, this is a normal response to grief. Sadness may set in as you begin to understand the impact of your loss on your life. You might feel tearful and cry, struggle with poor appetite, experience sleep issues and feel sad, lonely and regretful. After a period of time, which is totally individual to the person who is going through the grief process, you will come to acceptance. This doesn’t mean that you are not sad, but you have accepted your loss and that you can and will move on with your life. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to grieve, and no correct amount of time to grieve. Some people will grieve the loss of their pets for days, others weeks or even years. Tips for coping Reach out to someone who you know will lend a … Read More