Current News

Dear Friend,

We, at Nelsen Funeral Home & Crematory, are always seeking ways to enhance the services we offer to our client families. We are proud and excited to be the first funeral home in the country to offer comprehensive online planning for burial and cremation services, whether planning for the future or at time of need, as well as our recently added online flower purchasing program. We believe these services will simplify planning for families, allowing them to take care of many details in the privacy and comfort of their homes. Additionally, for families where members may be out-of-state or find travel difficult, this further enhances the services we offer. The site is secure and offers many new features to our families. We hope you will take time to review these services at www.nelsencares.com. We take pride in all we do and are committed to continuous improvement. As a recent letter from a client stated, Nelsen’s commitment to service demonstrates that nelsencares.com is more than a web address, it is a statement of our philosophy. We hope you will agree.

On Tuesday, September 8^th, Nelsen Funeral Home will welcome Dr. Thomas Long, author of Accompany Them with Singing—The Christian Funeral.    He will be offering a morning session at our Williamsburg facility focusing on how modern funerals can reflect the innate value of the Christian experience .  Lunch and a book signing will be included as part of this morning with Dr. Long.  Seating will be limited.  If you would like more information or if you would like to register for this event, please contact Karen Gill at (804) 909-0123 or kgill@nelsencares.com. 

Thomas G. Long, one of America’s most trusted and thoughtful pulpit voices, provides a theological and cultural critique of today’s Christian funeral.  He is a Bandy Professor of Preaching at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology.

Mike Cochran was a member of the Nelsen staff at the Laburnum Chapel in Richmond for less than 6 months when he was moved into the position of manager.  When he moved to Richmond to work for Nelsen Funeral Home, becoming a manager was not what he expected.  His older brother, Chris, and Mike ran their own funeral home in Bedford Virginia.  His brother is about 14 years older than he is and started in the funeral business out of high school.  When Mike got his license, they started their business out of an old house, doing all of the renovation and repairs to the building themselves.

 Mike says he got his start in the funeral business, not through his brother, but from a funeral director in his home town.  When he was in high school, Mike played on the football team.  This man always came to the games and relentlessly encouraged Mike to come work for him.  When Mike was 16, he started working at the funeral home washing cars, then doing maintenance around the facility, then working the parking lot, then leading services.   When he graduated from high school, he attending the Funeral Services Program at John Tyler Community College, (where he was the President of the Funeral Services Program) and continued building his career from there.

 Mike still loves football, but mostly as a spectator sport now.  He enjoys anything that gets him outside, including fishing, hunting, camping and watching sports.  He lives with his wife and step-son and his new daughter, who was welcomed into the world in April. 

  Mike has led the team at the Richmond chapel since November 2009.  He says, “What I really appreciate about Nelsen Funeral Home is that it is a family owned and operated business.  That means a lot to me.  It is an extraordinary business model in this economy, and I feel really lucky to be part of this team.”

At Nelsen Funeral Home and Crematory, our Funeral Directors see families bearing the burdens of worry, confusion and making important decisions for a loved one without the needed information or financial arrangements. We are quite concerned for those left with the stress of decision making, generally on the worst day of one’s life.

While funeral arrangements are not a preferred topic of discussion with most people, it is a subject we all must deal with someday. Today, many people consider funeral pre-arrangements an important step in the overall estate planning. By planning in advance, you gain a number of advantages.

• Eliminate the majority of the decision making your family will be left to handle. This can be accomplished just by placing your wishes for your funeral on file at our funeral home. Whatever the amount of information you leave will be beneficial to those who are left.
• Control cost by directing the level of service and merchandise you would prefer. This can be accomplished by a simple counseling session at your residence or the funeral home. You may want to further control cost with price guarantees   We provide many affordable options, thus eliminating financial hardship in the future.
• Unfortunately, we never know how the future may affect us and our families.   Nursing home and In-home care can liquidate a lifetime of savings. Securing assets for your funeral may be one of the smartest and thoughtful benefits you can provide your family. 

For families that choose to secure assets and guarantee cost, funeral homes are required to place funds in a State of Virginia regulated account; this guarantees funds will be available in any circumstance. Transferability of funds to other funeral homes is protected in Virginia.

 At Nelsen Funeral Home and Crematory, we are committed to honesty and integrity in all that we do.  Commitment to serving others with care and concern before, during and after a death of a loved one has always been of most importance.

                                                 Scott Vincent, FSL, Pre-Arrangement Counselor

(From a Hospice Worker)  What options are available with cremation?

Cremation practices are nearly as ancient as human history.  Across generations, it has been considered a respectful, dignified method of disposition of the body of a loved and honored member of the community.    

 Services may be as simple or as elaborate as the family chooses.  A viewing or visitation are available options, with cremation following the viewing.  In this case, embalming would be necessary.  The family may want to have the funeral service with the body  present, with cremation following the service.

 After cremation, the remains may be buried, scattered, maintained by the family, or incorporated in any number of memorial items.  Specific urns are available based on what the family proposes to do with the cremated remains.

 Inurnment may be conducted in any of the ways a body would be buried–including above ground in a ‘niche’ or in the earth; in a public cemetery, a church graveyard, or even, in some circumstances, on private property.

 Scattering is an option that may reflect the personality and passions of the person who died.  These include scattering over water, on private property or even in space.  There are certain regulations governing  the scattering of cremated remains, and you may need to direct your specific questions to your funeral director.

 Memorial items may include everything from statuary, jewelry, coral reefs, or teddy bears. 

 Do you have a question you would like to have a funeral director answer?  Please e-mail your questions to us at kgill@nelsencares.com.

Healing Hearts:  Support After the Loss of a Loved One

Sandston Recreation Center, 11 J. B. Finley Road, Sandston,

Second Monday of each month: July 12, August 9, September 13

 6:00-7:30 PM

 2007 Legacy Hall, 4301 New Town Avenue, Williamsburg

Second Wednesday of each month:   July 14, August 11, September 8 

Noon – 1:30

Young Widows or Widowers Group

A support group designed especially for folks who experienced the death of a spouse too early in life.  We meet in the home of Karen Gill on the second Tuesday of each month:   July 13, August 10, September 14,   7:00—8:30. 

For more information, please call Karen Gill at (804) 909-0123.

Surviving Suicide:  Emerging from the Darkness 

For those who have experienced the death of a loved one by suicide.

The Sandston Library, 23 E. Williamsburg Road

4th Thursday of each month:  July 1, July 22, August 26, September 23

6—7:30.

Nelsen Funeral Home is committed to providing our community with services that promote healing and understanding.  These groups are open to any member of the community in need of such services.  Please share this information with friends and colleagues who may be searching for support and information in their journey through grief.

Dear Friend,

We, at Nelsen Funeral Home & Crematory, are always seeking ways to enhance the services we offer to our client families.  We are proud and excited to be the first funeral home in the country to offer comprehensive online planning for burial and cremation services, whether planning for the future or at time of need, as well as our recently added online flower purchasing program.  We believe these services will simplify planning for families, allowing them to take care of many details in the privacy and comfort of their homes. Additionally, for families where members may be out-of-state or find travel difficult, this further enhances the services we offer.  The site is secure and offers many new features to our families.  We hope you will take time to review these services at www.nelsencares.com.  We take pride in all we do and are committed to continuous improvement. As a recent letter from a client stated, Nelsen’s commitment to service demonstrates that nelsencares.com is more than a web address, it is a statement of our philosophy.  We hope you will agree.

When a loved one is entrusted to Nelsen Funeral Home & Crematory, we understand families expect the highest standards of service. Nelsen Funeral Home & Crematory has owned and operated our own crematory since 1997, making us the most experienced, and most often selected, cremation provider in Williamsburg. In the years since opening our Williamsburg Chapel, the rate of cremation has increased both nationally and locally. While nationally, the cremation rate is approximately 25% of all deaths, in Williamsburg almost 60% of all families select cremation as their preferred method of disposition. To better serve our Williamsburg client families, Nelsen is proud to announce the installation of the area’s most modern and complete crematory at our location on Strawberry Plains Rd. Our new crematory will officially open in February, 2010, and will be open for educational tours and inspection by the families we serve.

There are several ways to understand the increase in numbers of people choosing cremation, especially in the Williamsburg community. First, cremation rates tend to be higher in mobile communities. Williamsburg has a high percentage of non-native residents. Williamsburg is also home to a major university and has a high percentage of college graduates, both groups which tend to select cremation. The acceptance of cremation by most religious faiths has certainly had an impact on increasing cremation rates. Furthermore, many view cremation as being a more economical option.

Other reasons people choose cremation often include saving money (24%), saving land (17%), personal preferences (11%), and the simplicity and convenience of this option (9%). Also, concern for the environment, cold-weather constraints, and the ease of transportation to distant burial sites affects this choice.

With the opening of this crematory, Nelsen Funeral Home will offer its families state-of-the-art facilities, with the ability to respond to needs more quickly, with no risks associated with transportation, and further enhancing the trust of our families by utilizing the 10-point tracking system, Cremation with Confidence™, that has made Nelsen’s cremation process a national model.

When you have been named the executor or administrator of a loved one’s will, most likely, you are entering into a legal procedure that is unfamiliar and can be daunting. In most cases this procedure is initiated within the first few weeks after a loved one’s death, making the situation even more confusing and intimidating. How can this process seem less overwhelming? How can you assure you are making good decisions at this emotional time? Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind as you begin this process:

• In some cases, estate settlement is a long, complicated process; and in many cases it is not. Don’t make it harder than it has to be.
• There are several people in the community to assist you with this process, including your attorney, accountants, folks who specialize in household document organization, and the team at Nelsen Funeral Home. If you have any difficulties, please let us assist you.
• If you have questions, the Clerk of Court in the area where the will is probated is there to help you. These are very knowledgeable people who understand the sensitive timing around estate settlement. Utilize this valuable resource.
• Remember that, even though there are some deadlines to be met, these are usually reasonable, and not everything has to be done immediately. It is also helpful to remember that the deadlines refer to a paperwork process, not a dispursement of the estate to beneficiaries. Other family members may want to see things settled before the executor has all the information they need.
• If family members seem too anxious for their ‘fair share’ remember that this may be one of the ways that their own grief and insecurity about this confusing time is showing up.
• Care for yourself through the procedure. Take breaks. Break the process down into manageable steps and reward yourself when reaching these smaller goals.
• If there are people you trust who want to help you during this time, let them. Maybe they can accompany you to DMV, or help you organize paperwork, or unearth documents.
• Frame of mind is really important. Remember that you have been named executor because your loved one trusted you. It truly is an honor.

The services to honor a loved one’s life cannot be made more special, more meaningful, or more memorable with the use of technology. These qualities come from people, from trusting relationships, and dedication to excellence. What technology can do, however, is create lasting memories that can be shared quickly, easily, and across unimaginable distances. Some options available at Nelsen Funeral Homes include:

• Memorial tribute videos to be played during visitation, and before the service of remembrance. These videos allow the family to share favorite memories of their loved one.
• On-line tributes at Tributes.com allows families to create a webpage in honor of their loved one but uploading pictures, comments, and blog capabilities.
• Our Event-by-wire capabilities allow the funeral staff to video tape the service, and upload this service to the web for viewing by those unable to travel to the service