Tough Decisions: Compassionate, Creative Services Give Hope to Families
FairHaven Funeral Home • April 17, 2020
For families undergoing end-of-life care decisions right now, Covid-19 has upended the basic comforts we know. FairHaven's Mark Scheidt expresses the challenge social distancing is having on the traditional practices of consoling families. Here's the story of Char Milan and her father, Lee.
For Fort Wayne native Char Milan
and her family, the death of her father Lee Milan
could not have come at a worse time. Lee was laid to rest on March 31, 2020. However, the standards for social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic, made the loss more difficult.
"We've had funerals since the beginning of time," co-owner Mark Scheidt
told ABC21, "This is so not tradition."
Mark Scheidt, one of four partner-directors
of FairHaven Funeral Home, in a rare loss for words regarding social distancing. He believes that holding memorials — when the threat of the pandemic passes — will bring people together once again.
In a profession
built on empathy and support, where a hug and holding someone's hand are undisputed comforts, Scheidt said it felt unnatural to move chairs in his funeral home so far apart.
"To say to a family that's lost their father, 'Let's pick ten people that are going to be here for this funeral," he explained. "I don't even have the words..."
Scheidt and his colleagues are working with families online
and making arrangements over the phone. They are also offering the option of live streaming or taking video of the funeral service, and sharing with those unable to attend.
"Connecting with people, your family and friends, and mourning but also celebrating those we love, that's the province of funeral directors and our service," Scheidt said.
"When this is over, I believe the impulses to be together will be stronger than ever."
When it comes to end-of-life care, you and your family have choices. However, the most important one may be which funeral home you select. Listen in as partner-director Mark Scheidt expands on the subject in our latest spot — plus brief testimonials from families we've served.
We're pleased to be recognized as Fort Wayne's Best Funeral Home for the third time in three years. It's proof positive that our brand of care — authentic, local and deriving from a deep sense of mission — is speaking directly to Fort Wayne families and helping them heal.
FairHaven Funeral Home has been nominated for the Readers' Choice Best of Business award, and we're looking for your vote. We invite you to learn what made FairHaven the number one funeral home in Fort Wayne in 2019 and 2020.
FairHaven Funeral Home has once again been voted the Best Funeral Home in Fort Wayne in Readers' Choice 2020 polling. This is the second time in two years that FairHaven has been recognized with this prestigious business honor.
Funeral director and partner Jarod Steffen received a Forty Under 40 Award for his community work and business acumen. He and his partners at FairHaven Funeral Home have remade the end-of-life care experience to be more comfortable, authentic and affordable.
With the help of volunteer Honor Guard, owner-director Mark Scheidt was able to give Robert Thompson Sr. a military funeral for his naval service during the Vietnam war.