Farewell flag ceremony The O’Connell Family Funeral Homes, which includes our onsite Countryside Crematory, continues their veteran and United States flag honor with their Farewell Flag Act of Reverence. A meaningful and unique way to honor those who served Families of veterans are seeking meaningful and unique ways to create a lasting memorial tribute to their […]
This month was very special and very difficult at the same time. We said goodbye to our patriarch, Thomas ‘Tucker’ O’Connell. After 91 years, his body was tired, his mind gave all it had, and he missed mom more than life. But it wasn’t until after the funeral and seeing the wonderful tribute, that I […]
“Grieving is as natural as crying when you are hurt, sleeping when you are tired, or eating when you are hungry… It is nature’s way of healing a broken heart.” ~Doug Manning The death of someone we love changes our lives forever. And the movement from the “before” to the “after” is almost always a long, painful […]
Funerals and cremation. Funerals and cremation have changed tremendously in the past 10 years. Most of the changes have come as a result of families not wanting the “traditional ritualistic” funeral. Families want to make their loved ones funeral personal. The O’Connell Family Funeral Home staff has played an integral role in this evolution and […]
Buy from your local flower shop. When it comes to getting flowers for your loved ones, it seems like ordering online will save you a few bucks. But in the end, you will be more satisfied with flowers purchased from a local flower shop. Time and time again, we see boxes of flowers left outside […]
The death of someone we love breaks our hearts, and grief sets in. Grief’s synonyms are sorrow, misery, sadness, pain, distress, agony, torment, heartache, desolation, dejection, and angst…. Ok, I think you get it! Grief is overwhelming and knows no boundaries. But besides emotional feelings, it causes a myriad of physical issues too. When we […]
Loss is a common everyday fact of life. Even more so, are the emotions and reactions that follow them. But with the holidays approaching, it seems our grief gets amplified and worse. TV commercials make it appear everyone is happy and cheery during the Holidays. Festive dinners, cocktail parties, shopping sprees, and holiday decorations focus […]
An individual’s story – memories made, principles and lessons learned – is a gift that should be shared with family and friends. O’Connell Family Funeral Homes, in conjunction with the Funeral and Memorial Information Council (FAMIC) has launched Have the Talk of a Lifetime, an awareness and education initiative to help families have important conversations […]