Loved Ones Remembered in Memorial Service and Candle Lighting at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park

A heartfelt candle lighting service was held at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park & Mortuary in North Hollywood, California. The annual event was held to honor the memories of loved ones who died over the last year.

Family members remembered children, siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles at the annual memorial service.

The Walter Reed Middle School Choir sang holiday songs such as "White Christmas" and "Silent Night," while Father Stan Harris focused on the brightness of the holiday.

Jorge Ferreira, Valhalla General Manager, was proud to offer the candle lighting to families this year. "It is important for us to recognize that lives were spent in a good fashion and there was a legacy behind every one. Basically after someone passes, there is a time of grief, but at the same time we want to celebrate their lives," Ferreira explained. "We also offer ornaments to the families who attend this memorial service, so they can put a picture of their loved one inside the ornament and either hang it on our tree or take it home for the holidays."

Cutting edge in his approach, Ferreira has replaced an outdated side area in the chapel with a comfortable sectional couch. "We have a lot of Hispanic families that we serve as well as other families in the community, and we have perceived the need for families to have larger services and become involved in the process with more participation. So, we added this quarter area for families to be more comfortable with our location and to be more at peace with the mourning process," Ferreira said. "In the past, we had church style pews and those were a little bit uncomfortable. They were fine years ago, but we're changing with the times and answering the needs of our families."

As the times are changing, so are the trends in funeral service. "We see that more family members are attending funeral services," Ferreira noted, "and with new technology, more families are using DVD memorials. The family can place pictures on the DVD with music and it can be shown during the funeral service. That helps the family to give remembrances to all stages in the life of a person, not only the fact that the person has passed. Basically, it gives them a biography of someone's life in pictures. Revisiting those photos, family members smile or even laugh when they remember fun times, even though the situation is hard."

As family members lighted candles in remembrance of loved ones who died, they said their loved one's name out loud and placed the candles into the sand. The Walter Reed Middle School Choir sang in the background of the candle lighting, which added a touching end to a beautiful service. While everyone supported each other in a comforting family atmosphere, Ferreira offered a final wish, "I hope everyone has happy holidays and a very happy New Year. Dealing with death is hard and we just hope for a better New Year for everyone."

Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park & Mortuary is located at 10621 Victory Blvd., North Hollywood.

For more information, call (818) 763-9121.

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