William M. Gagan Funeral Home
In loving memory
Michael Howe
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FAQ
Have a question about how the Tribute Store can help you to support your loved ones' in their most difficult hours? Please read through our list of most commonly asked questions or contact our advisors for immediate assistance.
Tribute Flowers
These days, many people opt to schedule celebrations of life at other locations than funeral homes. If your friends or family members choose this type of arrangement, be aware that you can still send memorial floral arrangements to any place where loved ones will be gathering for comfort and support.
In some instances, families may include the words “in lieu of flowers” in their memorial service announcements. Generally, this means that funeral attendees are being asked to contribute to a specific charity, rather than sending floral arrangements to the service.
While memorial contributions can be a lovely gesture, it’s important to know that it often takes charities several weeks - or even months - to issue notifications to the bereaved families. Floral arrangements and sympathy gifts delivered directly to the family’s home provide more immediate benefits in terms of emotional comfort and support. If you do decide to make a financial gift in lieu of funeral service flowers, consider also sending a gift directly to the family through the Tribute Store in order to offer your heartfelt condolences and sympathies when they’re needed most.
Unlike many online floral order services, which deliver boxed arrangements that must be unpacked and assembled by the recipients, all of our flower arrangements are delivered fully assembled by local florists. No work is required on the part of the grieving family to enjoy orders sent through the Tribute Store.
This fee is to ensure that your gift is delivered to your satisfaction. It also ensures that our support staff is able to assist you at any time, any day, with any questions or concerns.
Tribute Gifts
Yes. Please allow an extra 2-3 days of processing time when ordering personalized items.
Because we know how important it is to get sympathy gifts right from the start, we stand behind every product sent from the Tribute Store. Our aim is to provide customers with the finest floral arrangements and gifts available, which means that we’re incredibly demanding about the workmanship and design standards of our products. In addition, every item purchased from the Tribute Store must pass a final quality inspection before leaving our facility.
If you or your gift’s recipient are dissatisfied with your purchase for any reason, you may return it in new condition in the original packaging for a prompt exchange or refund.
“Live” items (including plants and flowers) must be returned within 7 business days. All other returns and exchanges must be made within 30 days of your purchase. After these grace periods, all sales are considered final.
No. None of our gifts ship with pricing information included, meaning that recipients will not see the purchase price of your gift.
Funeral Etiquette
Many times, friends and relatives of the deceased will send surviving family members a sympathy card expressing their condolences on the loss. Depending on the relationship you held with the deceased, the content of your message may vary. However, in nearly all cases, sharing a special memory of the person who has passed is a nice gesture. The following statements may also help get your ideas flowing:
- “There is no way to lessen the sorrow of losing someone special to you. Hope it helps to know that others are thinking of you and sending love your way.”
- “Wishing you peace and comfort for the difficult days ahead. With deepest sympathy for your loss.”
- “May our thoughts bring you comfort and the memories you hold bring you peace. You’re in our hearts now and in the difficult days to come.”
Absolutely. Cremation is becoming a popular alternative for final disposition in the United States, though many cremations are still accompanied by traditional memorial services or viewings centered on the cremation urn. If services are being held, it is still appropriate to send floral arrangements - including sprays, baskets or vase arrangements. Or, if you prefer, sympathy gifts can be sent directly to the family’s home to convey your sympathies.
In many cases, the family of the bereaved will specify a charity to receive donations “in lieu of flowers” in the obituary or service announcement. If a charity is not specified and you would like to make a financial donation, ask members of the family if there was an organization that was particularly special to the person who passed. In most cases, the charity you donate to will send a notification to the family of the deceased, informing them of your donation.
Definitely not. While flowers and gifts sent immediately following a death let surviving family members know that they’re in your thoughts, they may also appreciate your ongoing support and comfort in the weeks and months ahead. Sending memorial jewelry, gift baskets or flower arrangements with meaningful notes at these times let family members know that their loss has not been forgotten. If you’re thinking about the person who has passed, chances are they are too!
Whether or not you choose to send flowers or sympathy gifts, there are a number of different ways to memorialize a loss. For example, think about the activities the person enjoyed, any hobbies he or she enjoyed or any charities that were particularly meaningful. Based on your results, any of the following ideas may help you to memorialize your relationship with the deceased:
- If the deceased loved her cats, consider contributing to a local animal shelter or a national organization, like the ASPCA.
- Did your loved one enjoy reading or traveling? Donate a new novel or travel guide to his local library.
- Depending on your financial resources, you can donate to a scholarship fund at the deceased’s alma mater or even start a new fund in her name.
- If you’re a talented photographer, use the pictures you’ve collected to create a personalized photo book or video.
- Visit the deceased’s online memorial wall and leave a special memory for his loved ones to read.
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