BY CHRIS FORTUNE AND CAMI KOONS
The spread of COVID-19 has changed how church leaders and funeral directors need to approach funeral services.
For some, limiting the number of people who can attend is an option. Others are holding off services until people can come together.
The Rev. Mike Scully of the Holy Family Catholic Church said there will be limited services to follow state restrictions that ban gatherings of more than 10 people.
“We will have funeral services, but there is a restriction on the number of people and they must be six feet apart,” he said.
The Rev. Jerry Mercer of Hesper Friends Church said they will be holding off services in some cases.
“We may hold off services for those that have been cremated until people can gather together again,” he said.
The Rev. Ross Baker of the Eudora United Methodist Church is looking to find a way to give community members a chance to remember their loved ones during this time.
“Currently we have been blessed to not have need of a funeral or memorial service up to this point, but as I look ahead, like many of my colleagues, we will be looking to how we can still celebrate and remember the life of a loved one with potentially being a much smaller group,” he said.
Lisa Manley, funeral director at Warren-McElwain Mortuary and Cremation, also said planning services has been difficult with the restrictions that limit public gatherings.
Manley said the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the interactions she has with families because lack of physical closeness has in turn removed some level of emotional closeness.
“You can’t shake people’s hands,” Manley said. “Just the general way you approach people is different.”
Manley said many families have opted for a graveside service with only close family members to limit the number of people. She said some of these families decided to do memorial services at later dates, as things hopefully return to normal.
“We’re adjusting with each family and trying to decide what’s the best option to move forward,” Manley said.
Warren-McElwain has offered video or webcast memorial services for several years, she said. The funeral home has held several services this way since the pandemic began.
She said another option is to keep the casket in the parlor and open it during specific hours. Manley said this allows friends and family to stop in and pay their respects in small numbers, rather than a large group visitation.
“It gives a good chance for everyone to get the closure they need,” Manley said.
While some churches are still considering the best approach, area religious leaders said they’re doing the best they can.
"It is not ideal, but it is what we are being called to live into in a time such as this," Baker said.
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