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December 1, 2012

Funeral homes offer support for residents grieving at the holidays

Transcript staff The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — Two Norman funeral homes are going the extra mile at the holidays to help area residents cope with grief made all the more poignant by the season.

Havenbrook Funeral home, owned by the Vice family, plans a Christmas Memorial Service at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6.

“Christmas is a special time of the year. A time to be close to family, friends and neighbors that have loved and supported us through our happiest and saddest moments,” owner Chad Vice said in a news release. “The memories of our loved ones seem to be ever so prominent in our thoughts as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

With that in mind, Vice and his staff have designed a Christmas Memorial Service to allow a time and place to “reverently and peacefully memorialize your loved ones,” Vice said.

The candlelight ceremony is tailored to honor our loved-ones’ legacies.

In addition to the memorial service, which is planned for the first week of December each year, Havenbrook also provides Grief Care to area residents. Havenbrook supports gatherings for those who have suffered a loss.

“Losing a loved one is most often associated with grief,” Vice said in the release. “However, many individuals suffer from grief when the loss is anything that occupied a significant place in our hearts and lives.”

Grief care is offered in six weekly sessions that occur in spring, fall and winter. More information is available at 405-329-0101.

Primrose Funeral Service and Lifecare Oklahoma also have a program in place to help those who have suffered a loss.

“The holidays are difficult for those of us who have lost a loved one,” Primrose General Manager John Davenport said in a news release.

Recognizing this, Primrose Funeral Service and Lifecare Oklahoma have joined together to provide a six session Holiday Grief Support Group that started on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

The group is available to individuals who have lost a loved one and are seeking support with their grief and mourning. 

“Each individual’s experience of grief is unique and personal, said Angela Lewis, MSW, US of Lifecare Oklahoma “Participants will support each other by listening and sharing stories, reflecting on things that helped others in coping with loss.

“Participants will learn various coping strategies,”  she said.

The sessions are at 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays at the Primrose Event Center. The next two meetings will be Dec. 4 and Dec. 11.

Information: Primrose Funeral Service at 405-321-6000.

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