How Long Can You Delay A Funeral?
The adverse circumstances we currently find ourselves in with COVID-19 do not lend themselves to large gatherings. In fact, the Government of Manitoba has limited gatherings to no more than 10 people. This means a lot of families may not be able to have the large funeral gatherings they would like - or does it?
Funerals can be delayed almost indefinitely so that they can be held when circumstances improve, and this doesn’t only occur during pandemics. There are many reasons you might want to delay a memorial service, from assuring that distant relatives can make travel plans to ensuring that any complicated last wishes are carried out.
Cremation is one of the most common funerary rites these days. When a body is cremated, you can store the ashes in an urn indefinitely. This means you can hold the ceremony whenever it’s convenient for you and your family - you can even hold multiple ceremonies with the urn, from traditional-style storage in a columbarium to scattering ceremonies. What’s more, ashes can be distributed among family members, so several individuals can hold their own ceremonies. The possibilities are almost endless.
In cases where the body is to be buried, you can still postpone a funeral for years. This is in part because embalming allows the body to be preserved. What’s more, there are freezers available that allow a body to be preserved for an extremely long time. In other words, no matter what kind of funeral you have planned, it can be delayed for almost any reason.
Freezing is necessary because embalming does not perfectly preserve human tissue. While it delays decomposition, an embalmed body kept at ambient room temperature will eventually begin to degrade. What’s more, embalming is not necessary when burials are being performed; in fact, many people opt to skip the embalming process entirely.
All of this information is particularly practical at a time when gatherings are limited, though generally, most funerals are held within a couple of weeks from the date of passing. Although there may be times when funeral homes charge a fee for delaying funerals, during COVID-19 we are waiving this fee. We will shelter your loved one for as long as necessary during the pandemic.
Here at Transcona Funeral Chapel, we are dedicated to providing affordable memorial services in Winnipeg. We understand that it may take time to gather family members and choose the right elements for a memorial service for your loved one. We’re here to help you make those decisions, and we will shelter your loved one, free of charge, until the time is right for their memorial service.
