Funeral homes personalize arrangements to help with bottom line

Death comes to all of us, but funeral homes are doing more to customize the final farewell.

Maybe it's a poker party. Or a logo on a casket. Or a service in a unique setting.

Whatever it is, funeral homes facing challenging times realize that many families consider the traditional service mundane and overpriced. More of those families are choosing cremation rather than a funeral. The future of funeral homes might depend on showing loved ones other options.

The $15 billion U.S. funeral home industry is expected to grow more slowly than the national economy — 1.5 percent a year vs. 2.5 percent from 2010 to 2020, according to an analysis this month by IBISWorld, a global market research company.

To counter that, they are offering customized caskets or urns — for example, highlighting military service or a favorite sports team. They also are willing to go out of their way to personalize the funeral.

Serenity Funeral Home & Cremation, outside Fort Lauderdale, put on a poker party to honor someone who loved the game.

Other funeral homes have ditched traditional services for ones on golf courses — or in restaurants, in gardens, on the beach or at sea.

"People are concerned about money," Zahn said. But they also want to provide a memorable send-off to loved ones. "They want more individualistic, less cookie-cutter type of services."

Jack Hagin, president of Brooks Cremation and Funeral Services in Fort Lauderdale, recalls one service when about a dozen people rented a yacht and sipped the loved one's favorite gin.