My journey with Jefferson Chapel began when my mother passed away. My brother Andrew had been in…read moretouch with the chapel when her hospice journey started. She chose Jefferson Chapel after attending a memorial for my coworker's mother and left notes about her memorial preferences. On the evening she passed, the hospice nurse called Jefferson Chapel to inform them of her passing. The chapel representative asked how long we needed with her before they came to take her body away. They offered to come after four hours, but we requested two hours. Lelia and PJ arrived promptly and, seeing the grief and emotions my sister and I were experiencing, they offered us more time with her. As they carefully wrapped her in a white shroud, I took photographs and videos. Neither Lelia nor PJ stopped me from doing so. They carried her out with great care, making it feel like a funeral procession. They placed her in their van, waited for us to say our goodbyes, and respectfully asked if it was okay to close the hatch door before driving off slowly.
The next morning, my siblings and I met with Felicia, who introduced us to the funeral director, Aaron Charlton. We spent the morning with Aaron, who addressed our questions about my mother's pacemaker, as she was being cremated. He explained the entire process from the time she arrived at their facility until her memorial. Aaron walked us through the viewing, cremation, gathering before the service in their chapel, and the meal afterward. He also counseled me on the sensitivity of approaching a Catholic priest for a service at Jefferson Chapel and the blessing of her ashes. Aaron helped with choosing a personalized urn, flower arrangements, prayer cards, and the service program, including the menu for the meal. At no point did it feel like Aaron was trying to sell us extras; he provided options to ensure a peaceful and tranquil farewell, giving us space and time to make decisions that aligned with her wishes. He even managed the tension and conflict among the siblings.
The next time we saw Aaron, Felicia, and Lelia was at my mother's viewing. The viewing room was set up with a seating area outside where a picture montage of her was playing on a big TV screen. We prayed, cried, and reminisced in peace and privacy. After the hour, we followed Aaron to the crematorium, where my family saw her casket being rolled into the furnace. Her jewelry and rosary had been given to my sister for safekeeping.
During the week, Aaron worked with us to finalize the prayer card, program, and flower arrangements, responding to emails promptly. The memorial link allowed family to send flowers, leave comments, and make donations. This is a wonderful resource and will hopefully be up indefinitely.
On the day of her memorial, Aaron was not able to be present. Abu, the funeral director, along with Tom and Michael, greeted guests at the door, and Liz was in the office. Abu kept track of the family participating in the service and coordinated with the priest, who arrived about ten minutes before the service. The service went smoothly, and family members in Australia, England, Canada, and Pakistan were able to stream it, which was amazing. We received many compliments on the food catered by Jefferson, the custom flower arrangements, and the flowers and plants ordered through the memorial link. The Jefferson Chapel director planned and his team executed my mother's farewell flawlessly, allowing us to participate in the memorial without worrying about anything. Abu gave us a USB drive with the picture montage, her ashes distributed into seven urns, her pacemaker, and allowed us to take the plants and flower arrangements home. We were not rushed out, nor were our guests. We left Jefferson Chapel in peace, knowing her wishes were followed to the letter.
Aaron continues to stay in touch with us, and the service is on the web link which continues to bring us peace.
