Coming together with friends and family, whether at a formal funeral or a more relaxed memorial service, gives everyone the opportunity to share memories, express emotions, and find comforting support. Whether you choose burial or cremation, the need for acknowledgement of the loss with family and friends is ever present. Together we can create a unique meaningful ceremony to express the genuine individuality of your loved one. We offer families a beautiful setting in which to gather together with friends and family. With our reception facilities and catering services, you can create an event that will be long remembered.

We are pleased to help you design a meaningful and personal tribute for your loved one. For example, Davis–Babcock can arrange for:

Military Honors There is no way better to honor a person who has served his or her country than with military honors. Each branch of the military will provide a two-person detail to play Taps and fold and present the flag to the next of kin. Military honors can also include a gun salute, generally arranged with a private organization such as a local American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, or, in Lake County, the Col. Justice M. Chambers Detachment 555 of the United States Marine Corps League. These honors are generally performed at the cemetery. If you are not attending a cemetery, military honors can be done at the funeral home or church.

Balloon Release- Our staff will coordinate the release ceremony to occur at just the right time in the service with balloons in your color preference.

Bagpiper Bagpipes can be played at the funeral home, church, or at the cemetery.

Video Tributes Please provide us with as many pictures as you’d like, and we will prepare a video to be displayed during the visitation at the funeral home.

Web Casting / Video Taping Life situations can make it difficult for everyone who wants to attend the services to do so. We offer webcasting services and/or videotaping of the funeral service so those that were not able to be in attendance can still have a chance to say good bye or for you as a family have a cherished keepsake. A DVD can be made from the tape as well, for a permanent keepsake.

Thumbies Keepsake jewelry that is created from the unique fingerprints of the special people in our lives. From an ink print of your loved one's thumb print, we create exact three–dimensional replica in precious metal. The surface of each piece invites touch; the engraved backside records your loved one's name and date or special message. More than anything else, these keepsakes help us stay connected us with those we love.

When your wishes call for burial, the ceremonies you design revolve around the casket being present. Traditions may be followed with a period of viewing followed by a funeral service in the funeral home, place of worship or some other facility. Or, you might elect to have a more relaxed memorial service, even in the family home.

Whatever you decide, keep in mind there is no formula for honoring your loved one when burial has been selected. We're here to listen to your concerns, share our experience, and help you to arrive at the perfect way to gather together to honor your loved one's memory.

Cremation refers solely to the manner in which you or your loved one has chosen to deal with the physical remains. It doesn’t limit the ways you can honor your loved one's life. We heartily suggest that you have a funeral or memorial service, because your need for such a healing experience is not lessened by the decision to be cremated.

Death is becoming a proper topic for discussion. It is mentally healthy to recognize death and discuss it realistically with friends and relatives. When a person dies, the grief and loss felt by the bereft needs to be shared. We all know that an expression of sympathy and offering your services to help others at a time of death are good etiquette; but even more important than good etiquette is the need to share our grief with one another.