Is A Funeral Enough?

Changing Perception of the Ordinary Funeral

Find Freedom In Funeral Planning 

Funeral planning has changed over the 70 years we have been in business. Who knows where it will take us. The challenge for our generation is to make funerals significant again. The stories that are enclosed are examples of Funerals. Not every anecdote are applicable for all families but are for demonstration of outside the ordinary funeral. Kolssak funeral home is here to assist you in any way possible to make the life celebration significant

Mom Deserves More Than This

Think of our funeral home as a stage and the story we are going to tell is that of an amazing person that has lived.  We focus on life and not death.  We want to engage all the senses; from listening to favorite music, poems, or scriptures; viewing of photos, videos, and memorabilia; feeling hugs or touch of loved ones, and perhaps tasting a favorite beverage or family recipe.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take your breath away. Kolssak Funeral Home believes that funerals are evolving. The days of just doing what is expected is leaving families wishing they should have done more. Does mom deserve more than the ordinary funeral? YES! This is motivational document for you to use to create a funeral experience that is creative, innovative but most of all gives you the freedom to express the moments in life that took our breath away. 

Take a moment and allow yourself to dream and read some following possibilities of how funerals do not have to be ordinary. Make your loved one’s funeral an experience that will enhance the life that was lived. 

The Die-Hard Cub Fan

I remember the first time Grandpa took me to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. I was 7 years old and everything was so big and wondrous. The smell of fresh cut grass, the crackling of the peanut shells, the banging of the hot dog vender and boisterous cheers for our beloved’ will ever be embedded in my mind. Even though the Cubs lost that day, my grandfather was never so alive to me. Is it possible to relive that experience or feelings? YES.




The 19th Hole

My husband loves to play golf. Every free moment of his life he could be found either on the course, at the driving range or sitting in front of the television watching the golf channel. Therefore, I don't think that his life celebration should take place in a funeral home. I would rather have the service at the golf course, perhaps a full day outing, banquet style concluded with a eulogy service to end the day. Is such a celebration possible? YES.


The Final Ride

Riding motorcycles is a passion. Bikers live and love life to the fullest. If the treads on the tires could speak of the places and the people they have experienced, they would tell at great tale about the person who shared the open road. It would be a shame for this person to be escorted to the cemetery by a traditional hearse. Would it not be perfect if his casket was carried by a motorcycle hearse? YES.


Biggie Diet

My wife loves McDonald’s big diet cokes. Everyday of her life she would go thru the drive thru and say, “May I have one large diet coke please?” I do believe she enjoyed the process as much as the actual coke. It is common practice to have a procession to the cemetery and sometime the hearse passes the house, would it be okay if we could take the procession thru the McDonald’s of my wife and everyone received a biggie diet? YES. 

Going Out With a Bang

My father hated funerals. He wanted people to just have a good time. When my father passed away my brothers and I knew it was our job to think outside the traditional funeral umbrella and plan a service that fit our needs but also respected my dad’s wishes. Labor day weekend we had the most extravagant funeral party this area has ever seen. It started in the morning with water activities, a dinner buffet, music, dancing, cocktails but I will remember most is at 9:45 pm the hour of my dad’s death the sky was filled with a vast array of brilliantly colored fireworks, which contained my fathers cremated remains. The invitation to the funeral was title Kiss My Ash. If you knew my father this event echoed the way he lived life. Is this type of celebration appropriate for everyone? No, but did this experience help our family adjust to life without Dad?  YES.