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Sunset Blog

Explore our blog for valuable content about cremation, burial, how to write an obituary, coping with grief and much more.

What to Do First When Someone Dies

Who do I call? What should I say? Here’s what to do first when someone dies, and what to do in the hours and days that follow.

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Which to Choose: Burial or Cremation?

How do you choose between cremation vs. burial? Not sure what you prefer? Here are some things to consider to help you make the best decision.

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How to Write an Obituary: Five Tips

We’ve all read the traditional obituaries packed with the names, places, people, and career highlights that defined a person’s life. And while these examples should make it easy to put pen to paper, when we’re called on to write an

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What to Write in a Sympathy Note

The sympathy note that goes along with a floral arrangement or one that you write in a sympathy card you send in the mail has one simple rule, says the Emily Post Institute: Say what you truly feel.

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Choosing Sympathy Flowers: Flowers & Their Meanings

Have you ever wondered about the meaning of different types of flowers, or what a flower’s color means? You don’t have to be a professional florist to know what flowers to include in your sympathy arrangement. Here is a guide

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How to Write a Eulogy: 3 Tips to Creating a Heartfelt Tribute

Remember an event with your loved one that impacted you the most. Focus on the person’s life and achievements. Think about their personality, accomplishments, relationships, and other facets that made them unique. Write down some key memories or emotions that

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The Complete Guide to Cremation

Planning a cremation doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated. You can learn everything you need to know with our simple and comprehensive guide to cremation called The Everything Cremation Guide. Our free guide shows you hundreds of things you

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What To Wear To A Funeral

What to wear to a funeral is a very common question. In the 1970s, for example, it was unthinkable not to wear your traditional best to a funeral. Men wore a suit, or jacket and tie), and women wore conservative

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10 Things You Can Do When Someone You Know Suffers a Loss

After a lifetime of helping families with final arrangements, we can tell you that the most frequent questions we get aren’t about headstones, caskets, memorial services, or burials.

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5 Things to Say to Someone Who’s Grieving

Though we’re all well acquainted with how to celebrate happy occasions with people, sad ones are more fraught with worry. It’s sad, it’s awkward, and it’s hard to know what exactly to say when someone you know experiences a loss.

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Helping a Sister Through Grief – A Sister’s Guide

“Life changes fast. Life changes in an instant. You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends.” So begins author Joan Didion’s memoir “The Year of Magical Thinking” in which she shares what life and grieving was

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The Complete Guide to Memorial Services

Planning a memorial service can often seem complicated, especially when trying to plan one in the midst of your grief. To help you, we’ve created this simple guide. Here you’ll find everything you need to get started and navigate the

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Complete Guide to Planning a Funeral

Planning a funeral doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated, but it can feel overwhelming. Start here with Sunset’s Complete Guide to Planning a Funeral. With step-by-step insights and actionable strategies for finalizing every detail, you’ll have the tools you

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The Complete Guide to Burials

When a loved one dies, one of the immediate next steps is planning the burial. Even those who opt for cremation may choose a cemetery burial, making this a critical consideration for virtually everyone.

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How to Help a Grieving Parent: A Daughter’s Guide

When my father died my mother found herself alone for the first time in nearly 60 years. Since meeting at 18 they had done everything together, from college to first jobs to big moves, all underscored by a mutual thirst

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A Daughter’s Guide to Planning a Funeral

When it comes to celebrating and commemorating your parent’s life, how do you pull all of the pieces together, and say goodbye while still honoring their spirit — the spirit that made you you? They raised you, provided for you,

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6 Ideas to Help You Cope with Grief this Thanksgiving

No matter when a death occurs, holidays are particularly difficult to navigate. Holiday memories of past joys are particularly cutting when we are currently grieving.

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Veterans Burial & Memorial Benefits

Veterans can receive burial and memorial benefits for themselves and their family members at Sunset Funeral Home, Cremation Center & Cemetery.

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Why You Should Acknowledge Someone’s Loss

Blogger Liz Millar recounts that after her dad died, she remembers returning to the office and feeling uncomfortable because some of her closest colleagues didn’t mention what had happened. “My life had altered in the most profoundly sad way and

GriefSunset Blog

Should Children Attend Funerals?

The first funeral I remember attending was for my grandmother when I was eight years old. I really didn’t understand much about funerals, especially in second grade. I remember being at the funeral home and looking at my grandmother’s memorial

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Memories Can Be Tricky

Memory is a tricky thing. We remember things we wish we didn’t and things we want to remember we can’t. Anyone else with me? Right now, I remember vividly where I was when the world received word that JFK Jr’s

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Ways to remember dad on Father’s Day

Father’s Day commercials are everywhere, from Hallmark cards to the latest grill. The holiday can be hard to ignore. For those whose fathers are no longer with them, Father’s Day can stir up mixed emotions, including fond memories as well

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Navigating Grief During Difficult Times

Everyone grieves differently. When the world was shaped around COVID-19, any type of loss posed a different challenge, with obstacles that were new. We searched at the time for different ways to navigate our grief rather than a “traditional” journey.

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Grief & The Holidays

Losing a loved one at any time of the year is hard. Holidays like Christmas and Hannukah and the celebrations that usher in the New Year can add another layer to that grief. “Christmas music, holiday parties, and festive decorations

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Redefining How We Celebrate Special Days

When the worldwide pandemic happened in 2020, we began to see how people pivoted in order to still celebrate holidays, birthdays, and special occasions within the crushing constraints of mandatory lockdowns and mask-wearing. While much has changed in the years

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The First Christmas After a Loss

December is different this year. Different for my husband and his brother and two sisters. My mother-in-law Louise passed away in June at the age of 94. Her birthday is Christmas Day.

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Navigating Grief Online

Social media is where we share not only our joy and accomplishments but also our grief and loss. How we mourn and remember our loved ones has evolved to encompass the online spaces we inhabit, where we routinely share pieces

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A Guide for Coping with Grief at the Holidays

The holidays are traditionally filled with joy and celebration, though for some, it can be a profoundly challenging period, especially if they are coping with the heavy weight of grief.

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How to Support Someone Who Is Grieving During the Holidays

If you have a friend or family member who is grieving during the holidays, it’s important to offer your support in a way that is meaningful and helpful. Here are five specific ways to support someone who is grieving during

GriefHolidays

How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

Whether it’s getting in shape, learning a new skill, or cultivating better habits, setting goals for a new year is a tradition that dates back thousands of years. However, studies show that only a fraction of these resolutions are successfully

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Who Is Emily Post and Why Should We Care? Here’s Why Etiquette Still Matters

The landscape of how we communicate with each other—and, more specifically, to respond to sensitive topics—has drastically shifted over the years. For those of us who want to say just the right thing to someone who needs support, there used

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