The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Funeral Home plans to host Service of Remembrance
Jakubs-Waite Funeral Home is starting a new tradition to remember loved ones who have died through its Valentine’s Day Service of Remembrance on Feb. 8.
The short service will begin at 2 p.m. at 36000 Lake Shore Blvd. in Eastlake, followed by time designated for cookies and conversation.
Steve Waite, funeral director at Jakubs-Waite Funeral Home, said there will be a candle service with Rev. Chuck Behrens, a minister, chaplain, counselor and speaker who works with North Royalton Christian Church and Hospice of Western Reserve.
Guests will also hear from Emily Holody who runs The Fire and Rain Grief Group, which is a Facebook support group dedicated to bringing people together to talk about navigating through life while processing grief.
“(Holody) does all of our online grief support. It’s not counseling, it’s just a support group she came up with, and she is going to talk a little about that and let people know how they can become a part of that,” Waite said.
He said the idea of the event was to celebrate the bond people had with their loved ones after the holiday season had passed.
“So many funeral homes did these kinds of events around Christmas. I thought, ‘Why not do something more when the grief is there to help along around this time?’” Waite said.
Waite said he hopes it becomes an annual tradition.
“This is in the vision for our future,” he said. “It’ll be a time where people can come, and it doesn’t matter who served the family. It’s just a place to come and have a nice remembrance and know that they are not alone.”
While Valentine’s Day is generally a holiday associated with romantic love, Waite said the event is open to all, not just those who have lost romantic partners.
Waite said they are expecting between 25 and 30 people to be in attendance at the service and those who plan to attend are asked to RSVP so accommodations can be made for guests.