How planning in advance can benefit you

The most important benefit of making funeral arrangements in advance is peace of mind.

In addition to peace of mind,  pre-planning removes the decision-making burden from the shoulders of loved ones, at the time of need.  It also affords you the opportunity to set aside funds in advance to protect against inflation.

Pre-planning can help settle any differences that may arise within your family about the type and costs of the funeral service.  You can meet with the Funeral Director, ask questions about service options, and let the director record you desires.

It assures that your wishes and preferences for funeral services be known, when they are needed.

Church service—or is a private Chapel available?

Nowlin Funeral Home has close contacts with all local Churches, and will coordinate with them for in-church services.

A private chapel is also available at the funeral home—with seating for 150.

Graveside services can also be arranged. 

Military assisted funeral services available

Nowlin Funeral Home has close contacts with the Abilene Dyess Air Force Base, and local veteran's organizations.  We will arrange for appropriate military honors.

What should I tell children about the funeral?

Many people ask if a child should be allowed to attend a funeral, or if they are welcome at visitation hours.  The basic answer is "yes".  But there are a few things to take into consideration.

The primary consideration is not to force a child to attend the funeral.  If the child asks to go, then by all means let them.  The secondary consideration is the child's understanding of death.  Usually, young children do not have a thorough understanding of death.  It is important to explain to the child what he will be seeing and doing when he comes to the funeral home, or funeral service.

Explain to them, in terms they understand, that death is a part of life.  Most children understand that in nature, plants and animals die, but they do not know why people die, especially if it is someone they are particularly close to—such as a grand-parent.

There are a lot of questions racing through that young mind when they hear that someone has died.  Like most adults, children want to know why someone has died, where they go to when they have died, and why couldn't the doctors or hospitals stop them from dying.

There are many resources for you to find the answers to these questions. The Internet itself contains hundreds of pages on this subject.  Also check with your local library.  They will be glad to provide you with the names of books or pamphlets dealing with these subjects.

If you cannot find an answer at these sources, please contact us, and we will try to be as helpful as possible in this area.