Every person who comes through the doors of Green Country Funeral Home receives the same attentive service. First and foremost, we listen to you, provide suggestions if you need them, and offer heartfelt compassion. No other funeral home in our area knows you like we do. We’ve been in this area for a long time, and deeply value our connection to those who live here.
We know that decision-making during the hours following the loss of a loved one is difficult. We offer the extensive information below because we know that many are not fully aware of the services available today. We hope it helps make your funeral planning just that much easier.
We are honored to offer the following services:
- Availability of licensed personnel staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Preparation and filing necessary notices, authorizations and consents, administrative and clerical services
- Arrangement of the funeral, including coordination with military officials, and fraternal organizations consultation with the family and clergy
- Arrangement of floral pieces
- Directing of the funeral services
- Coordinating cemetery arrangements
- Supervision at the place of disposition
Funerals are an important step in the grieving process, as well as an opportunity to honor a life lived. Offering surviving family members and friends a caring, supportive environment in which to share thoughts and feelings about the death, funerals are often the first step in the healing process.
The advantage of choosing a traditional funeral is that it follows a familiar pattern so families will know what to expect. A traditional funeral can make it easier for families and friends, because there's an established etiquette for the different stages of the ceremonies involved.
- Calling hours or visitation
- A formal service in a funeral home or church
- Procession with a hearse to escort your loved one to a cemetery
- Earth burial or entombment of the casketed remains in a mausoleum
Some of the costs associated with a traditional funeral will include:
- Personal services of the funeral director
- Embalming, dressing, cosmetology and hair arrangement
- Use of funeral home for visitations and the funeral service
- Hearse and other funeral vehicles
- Casket, vault and other goods and services
We take great care to offer services to those in our community who are seeking more personal ways to express grief and say goodbye to a loved one. We do not seek simply to ‘dress up’ the traditional funeral services, but listen closely to our families, and create truly unique, completely personal services for your loved one. Some popular ways in which our client families have personalized funerals include:
- Display arts, crafts, or other personal artifacts that were cherished by the deceased
- Lead the funeral procession past some of the deceased's favorite spots
- Hold the funeral in a favorite place of the deceased
- Playing favorite songs during the Calling hours or service
- Releasing balloons, at the interment, as a celebration of the life and ethereal spirit of the deceased
- Presentation of a personalized photo display, digital or video memorial
- Family and friends are invited to write letters containing their unspoken thoughts, which are then placed in the casket with the deceased
- Online guest books. All comments left by Web site visitors are noted to the funeral register for the family.
- Live music played at services
Direct burial includes local transfer of the deceased to the funeral home, required authorizations, services of funeral director and staff, transportation of the deceased by livery to local area cemetery. Our prices do not include cemetery charges.
If your loved one dies far from Tahlequah, we will help you return their body to you. And, should you wish a loved one returned to their birthplace, or to another location for interment or entombment, we can make all the arrangements for you. Call us to discuss your needs.
Every family is unique. We listen not only with our ears, but with our hearts and will consider all your financial and emotional constraints in designing a funeral or memorial service that suits your needs. No matter what your budget or your vision for your loved one’s service, we’re here to help.
“One of the recognitions shared by humans throughout the world and over time is the importance of ritual” … “In every culture, significant transitions such as births, marriages and deaths have been marked by rituals.” ~ Kenneth J. Doka
Losing a loved one is truly difficult. Whether their passing was sudden, or due to a lingering illness, there are strong emotions to be processed. Grieving takes time, and must be honored.
A funeral or memorial service is one way to help those who are left behind take the first step in overcoming grief—that is, facing the fact that a death has occurred. The services bring together friends and relatives who can offer comfort and support to each other at a time when it is needed most.
Whatever service is planned, it should be a personal reflection of the family and the person that died. We listen carefully to each family’s wishes and do whatever it takes to assist in creating an event that is meaningful and satisfying to all.
More than just a service for the person who has died, a funeral is for the loved ones who are left behind. Participating in a funeral can be a therapeutic act that actually starts the healing process.
A funeral...- Assists in taking the first steps in the grief process by reinforcing the reality of death
- Offers an opportunity to express feelings of grief
- Encourages sharing of memories that celebrate and validate the life of the deceased
- Provides support from friends and family and acknowledges the loss within the community
- Creates a forum to share spiritual values and beliefs
- Allows mourners a structured activity or “something to do” during a disorienting time
- Serves as a rite of passage and important social ritual
“Funerals are not to benefit the dead, but the living. They have a number of unparalleled therapeutic benefits. As a rite of passage, the funeral assists you in recognizing the passing of your loved one, supporting you as you start your life without the deceased, and reintegrating you back into the social group as a person whose loved one is no longer alive.” ~Therese A. Rando, Ph.D.
When a loved one dies, the first reaction for many people is to want to move through things as quickly as possible, to avoid any additional pain or discomfort. Often, they believe that not having a funeral will shelter themselves and their family from more pain. Nothing could be further from the truth. A funeral or memorial service acts as a catalyst for the grieving process, and without it, family members can feel stuck in the early stages of denial and anger.
Psychologists and grief counselors agree that funerals can be a healing experience that helps survivors move through their grief. There are many ceremonial ways to honor your loved one, and help you heal. A service can be as elaborate or simple as you desire; please call our staff to learn of all the ways we can help you, your family, and friends deal with their loss.
“The funeral service, if done well, can be an important adjunct in aiding and abetting the healthy resolution of grief. Seeing the body of the deceased person helps bring home the reality and finality of death. (Even in cremation) the body can still be present at the funeral service, in either an open or closed casket; then the cremation is done after the service. In this way, the funeral service can be a strong asset in helping the survivors work through the first task of grief.”~J. William Worden, Ph.D.
Without a doubt, funerals can be emotionally difficult. However, they provide a remarkable opportunity to receive the gift of memories that others shared with the person who has died. Many families are pleasantly surprised to hear stories from friends and relations about their loved one that they had never heard before. Being surrounded by family and friends and learning how their lives were touched can bring great comfort. We at Green Country Funeral Home invite you to call us today at 918-458-5055 to explore your funeral and memorial options during a private arrangement conference.
Cremation refers to the way in which you choose to handle the physical remains of you or your loved one. With our on-site crematorium, you can be confident of the care your loved one will receive. Whether you choose burial, or cremation, you can still have a traditional funeral, or a simple memorial service, with or without the cremated remains.
You can also select direct cremation, which includes local transfer of the deceased to funeral home, required authorizations, services of a funeral director and staff and an alternative container for cremation. There is no need for additional transportation expense because we have the only local crematory, located on-site at Green Country Funeral Home.
If you want to arrange a direct cremation, you can use an alternative container. Alternative containers encase the body and can be made of materials like fiberboard or composition materials.
- Full Cremation Service
- Memorial Service
- Direct Cremation
- Full line of Cemetery Memorials
Our Life Tributes program offers a customized and animated video and a dedicated website honoring your loved one’s life. Each part of the Life Tributes program uses photos of your loved one combined with one of our various themes to create a memorial DVD that is yours to keep. This can be shown at the viewing or at a funeral service and can be viewed online.
Families have a choice of several Register Books that provide a place for visitors to sign in at services. The books are personalized for each individual with a memory page and a page for a family record. Funeral service and burial place information are also recorded in the Register Book.
We create folders to distribute to friends and family at services or to include in thank you notes. These folders contain a verse chosen by the family along with information about the loved one. A photo of the loved one may be included in the folders.
Prayer Cards are personalized with birth and death information about your loved one. A verse, chosen by the family, is printed on the cards. These are handed out at services and many families choose to have extra cards printed to give to those who may not have been able to attend services.
Thank you notes or acknowledgement cards are personalized for our families. There is a large choice of designs for the note cards and the cards contain a message that is chosen by the family. We are able to make these note cards available to the family long after the service is over.
Various Keepsake urns and jewelry are available for families who wish to memorialize portions of cremated remains.
Laminated bookmarks with copies of the obituary are created for our families.
We can arrange for balloons to be released at the interment to celebrate the life and spirit of your loved one.
Arrangements can be made to have local musicians perform during services at church, funeral home and cemetery. Most familiar songs can be requested.
- Specialized Merchandise
- Service for U.S. Veterans
Those who serve in the military may be eligible for special funeral and burial benefits because of their honorable service. Our staff is experienced in completing the necessary paperwork involved, and gladly takes the responsibility to do so – relieving the family of this burdensome task.
We at Green Country Funeral Home are completely committed to providing families of the veterans in our community with unsurpassed service.
Our Veterans are honored by the local VFW Memorial Squad, and an honor guard, specially trained in the military rites and procedure. We use both the local VFW Memorial squad and an honor guard from the local arsenal that is specially trained in funeral procedure.
- Flag holders
- Military emblems on caskets and vaults
- Printed prayer cards, memorial folders, obituary bookmarks, and Register books, all displaying the proper military insignia
All veterans qualify for military funeral honors and many veteran benefits, regardless of their rank or the place of burial. The following groups are also eligible for military honors:
- Military members on active duty or in the Selected Reserve.
- Former military members who served on active duty and departed under conditions other than dishonorable.
- Former military members who completed at least one term of enlistment or a period of initial obligated service in the Selected Reserve, and who departed under conditions other than dishonorable.
- Former military members discharged from the Selected Reserve due to a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.