ATYPICAL FUNERAL HOME

JOURNEY JOURNAL... Naples, Florida

BUSINESS NOT AS USUAL

If you happen to harbor some reservations about crossing the threshold… of a funeral home, that is, try following in the footsteps of two funeral directors who took the road less traveled – to an office park.  Perhaps the Corporate Square, Suite 1 address of Legacy Options LLC hints at their unconventional undertaking, which was launched in April 2013.

A vision for an alternative approach to funeral care materialized when Michael Whyte and Glenn Witzenburg partnered to operate a “funeral home without a funeral home.”  That is, fundamental operations are streamlined in the compact quarters of a basic office building.  It encompasses crematory, refrigeration, preparation, and identification viewing rooms, as well as a reception area and arrangement room where merchandise is on display.  

Items on two categorized price lists vary according to preferences for either cremation or funeral activities.  A number of casket selections are available and can be seen at:  http://www.legacyoptionsllc.com/Caskets_Photos_997389.html

Without function rooms for visitations and funeral or memorial services, this is not a typical funeral home.  Instead, for such gatherings clients are encouraged to choose facilities in the community, faith-based or otherwise, that either have had significance during the life of the decedent or ones that are simply tranquil or beautiful places for a life celebration. Picture a wedding ceremony at a botanical garden or zoo and then imagine a memorial service in the same setting.  Butterfly and dove releases enhance the effects.  

The premise of the business model for this “Remembrance of Life” enterprise is that lower overhead purportedly enables more affordable pricing, while allowing families to experience more memorable and personalized commemorations outside the confines and constraints of traditional funerary settings.   

Those who adopt this approach are expected to comply with a commitment to make monetary contributions to the non-profit facilities where their events are held.  This “Care Sharing” strategy bespeaks the owners’ mantra of giving back to the community.  The arrangement, dubbed "cashiering," can be a convenient substitute in lieu of floral gifts to the family.   

So if you seek distinctive or unconventional surroundings for a memorial tribute, you may be able to ride a wave of deviations from the norm. 

www.legacyoptionsllc.com/
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