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Is an Open Casket a Good Option?
As you get ready to plan the kind of service you want to give your loved one, consider an open casket. There are a number of benefits that an open casket can offer so you want think about it.
There will be many decisions you have to make after the death of a loved one. If you are the person in charge of making arrangements for the services, you want to consider whether or not you want to have an open casket. An open casket can be a good choice for lots of families. If you are not sure, there are some things that directors of funeral homes in funeral homes in Cecilia, LA want you to remember.
One of the benefits an open casket offers is the chance to say goodbye to your loved one. Saying goodbye is essential for the process of coming to terms with the loss. It is not an easy thing to do, however, since most people are not present when the person died. If your loved one died unexpectedly, saying goodbye can be even more important. When you have an open casket, you are allowing people to see the person for the last time and to say what they wanted to say to them. This can go a long way to helping people with the loss.
Another benefit that an open casket can offer is the chance to get closure. After a death, people may consciously know their loved one died but their psyche may not quite understand yet. If that is the case, you may feel like you are expecting your loved one to appear at any moment or that you will hear their voice. To help you accept the death, an open casket can be essential. It is a way to get your subconscious to come to terms with the loss.
You also want to remember that an open casket can bring comfort. If your loved one died in pain or if they went through a long illness, you can have an image of them suffering that you want to replace with another one. If that is the case, you want to remember that an open casket can offer the chance to have an image of your loved one at peace. The funeral director will make certain the person looks their best and that they look at rest, so this can be a good way of getting a better final image of your loved one.
These are all important reasons why an open casket can be a good choice for your loved one. It is something that can let you and everyone else get closure and that can make it easier for you to say goodbye to the person. If you want to know more about how to plan an open casket for a loved one, you can reach out to a funeral home in Cecilia, LA like us at Pellerin Funeral Homes. We are here to help you with the exact services that you want to arrange for a loved one so be sure that you contact us. You can give us a call right now or you can stop by one of our locations to learn more about what we can offer.
Jim is originally from Orange, Texas and attended Northwestern State University while on a golf scholarship. Jim graduated in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
After graduation, he returned to Texas, where he started a family and worked for an industrial transportation warehouse.
In 2002, Jim received a degree in Applied Sciences from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Sciences and returned to Natchitoches. He has been professionally employed as a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer since obtaining this degree.
Jim joined the staff at Blanchard-St. Denis in March 2008 and became General Manager in 2017. Jim’s level of care for the families he serves is shown everyday by his strong work ethic and his compassion for others at one of the most difficult times in their life.
He is married to Laura Flores and together they are owners of a local restaurant. In his spare time, Jim enjoys spending time with his family and occasionally playing golf with his son, Joe.
Dawn Slaughter has been a resident of Natchitoches since 1994. She moved to Natchitoches from Bossier City to attend Northwestern State University, but South Louisiana will always be “home”. Her dad spent 23 years in the Air Force, during which time she was fortunate enough to live abroad for 3 years and traveled to several countries. She met her husband Jason, at NSU. They have three beautiful daughters, Madison, Morgan, and Mikayla. In 2011, she graduated from Northwestern.
She was a stay-at-home mom for many years. Her husband has subcontracted for cemetery service for the funeral home for over 20 years. She began working at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home in November of 2018 as the office administrator and received her funeral director’s license in July of 2019. Dawn takes pride in helping the families of Natchitoches during some of their most difficult times, and helping them prepare their final arrangements to lessen the grief for their families.
Dawn is very active in her church, teaching her little third graders in Sunday School and singing in the choir at Christmas time. She is a member of the Les Amies Service Organization and enjoys volunteering in the community. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking and quilting. She is her daughter’s biggest fan in all of their pursuits.
Hunter was raised in Many, Louisiana, he graduated from Negreet High School in 2013. He then obtained an associate degree in applied sciences from Dallas institute of Funeral Service to practice Funeral Directing and Embalming.
In December of 2022, Hunter joined the staff of Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home. Through Hunter’s 10 years of service in the funeral industry he learned how much he loves helping families through the toughest time of their life. Hunter takes pride in treating each family he cares for like his own.
Hunter has two children, Anniston Kate and Lawson. In his spare time, he enjoys fishing, hunting, watching any kind of sport, but most of all spending time his children and family.
Tommy started his career with Blanchard St. Denis working part-time. He joined our funeral home full-time in 2011 after retiring from the United States Postal Service with 37 years of service.
Tommy is a lifelong resident of Natchitoches where he graduated from St. Mary’s High School in 1970. He furthered his education by receiving an associate degree from Northwestern State University.
He is married to Lisa McClellan. They have 4 children between them and are fondly known as Pepaw and Nana to 8 wonderful grandchildren. Tommy loves the game of golf and plays every chance he gets. He is also a wonderful cook and enjoys doing so for his family.
Tommy is passionate about caring for and seeing the needs of others. He takes pride in helping the people in his community during one of the most difficult times in their life.
Steve was born in Natchitoches and raised in Montgomery. When he graduated from high school, he attended NSU and studied mechanical arts.
He began his career with Gifford Hill and Company, a major construction supply company. While working full-time Steve attended the Shreveport Beauty Academy at night and received his license for makeup and hair styling. After 30 years he retired from Gifford Hill as Regional Manager for the Southwest region.
Steve began working for Blanchard St. Denis in 2012. His new endeavor with our firm gave him the opportunity to work in funeral service, a field he had always wanted to be a part of. Steve loves working side by side with the team at Blanchard St. Denis and helping families after the loss of a loved one.
Steve is married to Phyllis Kinkle Stroud, they have 3 wonderful daughters and 6 beautiful grandchildren.
Anthony lives in Natchitoches. He was born and reared on Cane River and went to school at St. Joseph Elementary and St. Matthew High School in Melrose.
He is married to Janet and they have 2 sons, 6 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.
Anthony retired in 2006 from L&L Automotive which he co-owned with his brother. He then opened Anthony’s Auto, selling used cars. He also helps Janet with her catering business, Tatae’s. Anthony joined the team at Blanchard St. Denis in 2020.
Anthony Loves traveling with Janet, spending time with family and talking about cars with his sons and grandsons.
