Cemeteries – A final resting place

If you are of a certain age you may have grown up as a “free range child”. Children born after the second world war, mid-century modern kids, were very likely to participate in unorganized free play. Meaning, they roamed a geographic territory, outlined by their parents, unfettered. They played with other neighbor children until the dads came home or the bell was rung or some other prearranged signal that meant it was time to go home and wash up for dinner.


This free-range system left the door wide open for children to have all kinds of adventures. Arm and arm with a best friend, a cousin, or a brother or sister, they creek walked, caught tadpoles, made clover chains, left pennies to flatten on the railroad tracks and … they walked the cemetery.


If you were one of these kids, you knew the spell of the cemetery. Maybe you remember it still? Cool shade from tall trees. A feeling of calm reverence. As you walked the rows you avoided stepping on the graves. Inspecting the head stones, you looked for the person who lived the longest. You may also have been surprised to find the marker of a child who died at about your age. A beloved wife, mother of six, a loving husband, people who served in the armed forces, touching the carvings on the markers you understood the value of their life. As a child you could feel the presence of the souls. The cemetery was a mysterious, yet comforting place. 


A cemetery is still a very special place. It is a final resting place. Knowing that a family member is buried in a peaceful and serene location brings comfort to family members. It’s nice to have a place to sit quietly and remember a mother, father, husband, wife, family member or a friend. Visiting the grave of a loved one feels like getting a hug.


Today, somewhere in the neighborhood of one half of Americans choose full body burial as their final disposition. In addition, many others who prefer to be cremated choose to have their ashes buried or placed in a mausoleum at the cemetery. Tucking a deceased loved one into a safe and serene green space gives family members a sense of security. Family members may live close by or at a great distance, they may move hither and yon, but they always know where the one they loved is resting.


As you plan for your own funeral, final disposition, and where you will rest, talk with your funeral director or advance funeral planning professional about options the cemetery offers. Maybe “old fashioned” and traditional is the perfect fit for you and those you love?

Smith Family Funeral Homes provides quality funeral, memorial and cremation services to the families of Central Arkansas. Their six locations can be found in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Westbrook, Sherwood, Benton and Arkadelphia. With a privately-owned crematory operated by licensed professionals, Smith Family Funeral Homes can guarantee their high standard of care throughout the cremation process. To learn more, visit smithfamilycares.com.

Choosing Cemetery Property

By Smith Family • 03 May, 2024
Regardless of the type of disposition (burial or cremation), choosing a “final resting place” is an integral part of laying a loved one to rest. The cemetery is the most commonly selected location for a loved one to rest in perpetuity. Whether you are making this decision for yourself in advance of need or deciding for a family member who has died, you should know there are options available that will support your individual values.

So You Want to Donate Your Body to Science

By Smith Family • 26 Apr, 2024
Some people wish to be organ donors, but others want their whole body to make a difference. Donating your body to science is a way to help the future of health, giving medical students a chance to study real human anatomy, practice their future profession, and research and find treatments for deadly diseases.

Do I Have to Have a Burial Vault?

By Smith Family • 19 Apr, 2024
When you preplan for your funeral, you may wonder which expenses are really worthwhile. Of course, you’ll need a casket, but what about everything that goes around it? Do you have to have a burial vault? Or can you just use a burial liner or even nothing at all?

How to Prepare for a Funeral? Contacting Loved Ones

By Smith Family • 12 Apr, 2024
The death of a loved one is often the most challenging thing one will face in one’s life. It’s overwhelming, disheartening, and saddening for you personally, but also for those around you. As you prepare for the funeral, you’ll need to start contacting loved ones. How do you determine who to tell first and how?

What is a Burial Vault?

By Smith Family • 05 Apr, 2024
When you think about the process of burying someone who has passed on, you’re likely familiar with a few terms. You probably know what a casket is for, what it’s made out of, and where it goes. You might understand a bit about the embalming process and how a body is prepared to be laid to rest. But do you know what a burial vault is? It’s a term that many people are unaware of, but it provides support for the deceased and is becoming more and more common, especially in certain areas.

Where Can I Scatter the Remains of a Loved One?

By Smith Family • 30 Mar, 2024
Whether your loved one was a beach enthusiast or a theme park fanatic, you might be thinking about where to scatter their cremated remains to pay tribute to what they loved in their lifetime. But just like if they wanted to be buried, a lot of thought should go into your loved one’s final resting place.

What is Prolonged Grief?

By Smith Family • 22 Mar, 2024
Grief is a normal part of life. After losing a loved one, most people will experience grief in some form. That feeling can go on for a while, but as the adage goes, “Time heals all wounds.” As anyone who has ever lost someone very close to them will tell you, time may help, but it doesn’t fully heal. Years after that person’s death, you’ll still think of them, still wish they were around, but you’ll have moved on with your life. The wound will still hurt from time to time, but the feeling of grief will no longer be all-encompassing.

Is It Okay to Laugh and Smile at a Funeral?

By Smith Family • 15 Mar, 2024
It’s common to see tears shed at a funeral. What’s less common is to hear uproarious laughter. Why would someone laugh during a funeral? Well, it happens more often than you’d think. But is it okay to laugh and smile at someone’s funeral? Whether or not it’s all right to get the giggles depends on many factors.

What Do I Do With The Flowers?

By Smith Family • 08 Mar, 2024
After any funeral, there are still a lot of questions about what comes next. In addition to dealing with grief, loved ones have to take care of the deceased’s estate and their final wishes. And although sending flowers to a funeral is a kind gesture, those flowers add another thing to do for the bereaved. Flowers brighten up any funeral, but what can you do with them after the funeral is over? Here are a few options to either keep and create a memorial keepsake or donate them and make someone else’s day.

Funeral Jewelry: What is it?

By Smith Family • 01 Mar, 2024
When you lose a loved one, it’s hard to go back to everyday life. Things don’t feel normal. It can be hard to come to terms with them not being around, not just for the big moments but for the little things. You miss picking up the phone and hearing them at the other end. You miss how their famous dishes smelled or how they used to laugh so hard at their favorite movie. You miss them just being around.
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