Tag: funeral planning

Technology Has a Place in Assisting Families

Sometimes age old traditions seem at odds with technology. When it comes to funeral arrangements and visitations, the Gibbons Family has added technology to make things a little easier for families who place their trust and confidence in us with their loved ones.

 

When you visit our chapel for a visitation, electronic screens with the image of your loved one will provide easy directions to the visitation chapel. Family and Friends may register using our electronic guest book. This guest book ensures the family has a full record of all of those who came to offer comfort; no issues reading hand-writing, or accidentally missing a guest on the page with incomplete information, etc. When the services are complete, families are provided with pre-addressed envelopes of all visitors along with cards for acknowledgement. We’ve heard many times that the most difficult phase for families is working through the process afterwards to thank people. The worries that someone will accidentally be missed creates anxious moments. The electronic guest book makes this process so much easier and the thank you notes can be sent very promptly.

 

Joe Wright, our vendor and developer of the software and a longtime friend of the Gibbons Family had an opportunity to see his work in practice when a member of his family had passed away. He was relieved to see his work solving precisely the kind of problems he designed it to solve. “Michael Gibbons is always open to anything that makes this process easier for the families, and that helps a lot” states Joe. He adds, “His concern throughout is that it’s easy and user-friendly”.

 

For additional information about Pre-planning, At need planning or any questions you may have, contact us, 24 hours a day at Gibbons Family Funeral Home 773-777-3944 or visit www.gffh.com

 

 

To Connect with Gibbons Family Funeral Home:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gibbonsfamilyfuneralhome/
Twitter: @gibbonsffh
Blog: https://gibbonsffh.wordpress.com/
Website: http://www.gffh.com/

“You come home to us, we’ll take good care of you”.

Since 1935 there has been a Gibbons Family Presence in Chicago. Chicago was the welcoming port for so many of the Irish Families who came to America. When Grandpa Gibbons established the first location on the west side of Chicago, there was no doubt that the Gibbons Family would be comforting families for generations to come. The same feeling and pride for the city that was now home to generations of families and millions of immigrants is felt today at Gibbons Family Funeral Home.

Tom and Rita Gibbons were the second generation, raising their family for a time above the funeral home at 5917 W. Irving Park Road. Today Michael and Kerry Gibbons are the 3rd Generation of the family to welcome your family when you need our assistance. The family remains very active and connected to the families in the community, the parishes, the clubs and the neighborhoods. And when a neighbor passes away, the family comes together at Gibbons Family Funeral Home, where, as Rita promises, “we’ll take good care of you”.

For at-need, pre-planning or any questions you may have, contact Gibbons Family Funeral Home at 773-777-3944 or gffh.com We’re here 24 hours a day, every day of the year for our families.

 

To Connect with Gibbons Family Funeral Home:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gibbonsfamilyfuneralhome
Twitter: @gibbonsffh
Blog: https://gibbonsffh.wordpress.com
Website: http://www.gffh.com




 

 

What would mom really like?


Kathie Warta makes an important case about why Pre-planning might be helpful for families. As a daughter, she felt a tremendous obligation to do everything her mom may have wanted. She had wished her mom had made some very important choices of her own so she could be honored in the most appropriate way possible. 


Gibbons Family Funeral Home makes this process available and as simple as possible for families. Getting everything down on paper is a huge help to loved ones who are tasked with making very important decisions, often during an emotionally difficult time. “Removing the doubt is a big help,” says Michael Gibbons, adding, “you can see and feel the relief of families when they have the direction their loved one created”. An option to pre-pay through a separate, independent financial instrument is available. This policy is transferable if locations or circumstances change. Financial Planning professionals have been adding this for several years now to act as an inflation hedge against rising costs. 


Gibbons Family Funeral Home is here 24/7/365 to serve you for Pre-Planning, At-Need, or simply answer any questions you have, with no obligation. 

For any questions you may have about At-need services or pre-planning, don’t hesitate to contact us. 773-777-3944 or www.gffh.com


To Connect with Gibbons Family Funeral Home:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gibbonsfamilyfuneralhome/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gibbonsffh

Blog: https://gibbonsffh.wordpress.com/

Website: http://www.gffh.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHm0CEUcnYWO_05FgwNZiAw




Gibbons helped bring dad home from North Carolina to Chicago. The Chicago Fire Dept. provided a motorcade to Gibbons Family Funeral Home

Chicago Fire Dept. Lieutenant Leonard passed away in North Carolina while receiving treatment. It was necessary to bring him home to his real home; The Northwest side of Chicago. Michael Gibbons made the phone calls to coordinate with the funeral home in North Carolina to bring Lt. Leonard home, working with son, John Leonard here in Chicago. What John did not know was that upon arriving at the airport, Michael would bring the hearse directly onto the tarmac at the airport and be greeted by Fire Trucks with crossed ladders and dozens of Chicago Fire Fighters in Dress Uniforms standing at attention honoring the arrival of their brother Fire Fighter and Officer. With Lights on, the Fire Dept. provided a motorcade back to Gibbons Family Funeral Home on Irving Park Road. “It was something we didn’t know about, didn’t expect and really very cool”, recalls John Leonard, regarding his father’s arrival.”.

Michael knew. Because First Responders have a special place at Gibbons Family Funeral Home and always have. “We have a history and a tradition of taking care of the families of the men and women who serve our citizens in Chicago” says Michael Gibbons. Both the Chicago Fire Department and Chicago Police Department consider their members to be family, and that tradition and camaraderie starts when a member passes away and extends through to the moment when they say good bye to a fallen brother or sister and send them home…not quietly, but triumphantly.

For the Gibbons Family, it is an honor and a privilege to be among the people who Chicago’s families choose for this responsibility. There’s no effort too great to take special care of the people who protect us every day.

To discuss at-need or pre-planning or any questions you may have, contact Gibbons Family Funeral Home at 773-777-3944 or gffh.com We’re here 24 hours a day, every day of the year for our families.

To Connect with Gibbons Family Funeral Home:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gibbonsfamilyfuneralhome/

Twitter: @gibbonsffh

Blog: https://gibbonsffh.wordpress.com/

Website: http://www.gffh.com/

Carrying Out Special Funeral Arrangements – First Responders

 

When a First Responder from the Northside is called home, they’re likely to go through Gibbons on the way.

Fr. John McNalis served as a Chaplin for the Chicago Fire Dept. If there is such a thing as “Irish-ness”, well, Fr. John is all of that and proud of the heritage of the service so many of his fellow Irishmen chose in public service. While attached to the Fire Service at the hip, the good-humored Chaplin extends his good feelings to Police, Public Works, and all manner of hard-working Chicagoans.

“There is a lot of ceremony involved with these kinds of visitations and funerals, and the Gibbons Family knows what to do and how to manage these arrangements”, says Fr. John. Chucking a little bit, but very seriously, he adds, “If you don’t do it right, word gets around, you know what I mean?” In addition to the religious rites, there are official rites and commendations, family recognition- that includes the men and women a loved one worked beside. Often the number of paying their respects can be very large, at the funeral home, at the church, at the cemetery, and perhaps elsewhere afterwards. The processions themselves can be a logistical plan worthy of days of study and preparation.

According to Fr. John, “The Gibbons Family is outstanding. Every generation of them. That’s the word that’s gotten around, so they take care of a lot of our members”. Michael Gibbons states clearly, “Our Family has always been extra proud of being able to serve so many First Responder and Veteran families here. They deserve every bit of the special treatment we can provide. It’s a honor to serve the people who’ve served”.

For any questions you may have about At-need services or pre-planning, don’t hesitate to contact us. 773-777-3944 or www.gffh.com

 

To Connect with Gibbons Family Funeral Home:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gibbonsfamilyfuneralhome/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gibbonsffh

Blog: https://gibbonsffh.wordpress.com/

Website: http://www.gffh.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHm0CEUcnYWO_05FgwNZiAw

Gibbons Family Funeral Services Chicago – It Felt Like Home

It was important for my father that people felt like our space felt like home for our families. ~ Michael Gibbons 

For Tom Gibbons, the most important thing you could do for a family grieving was to provide a space for them that ‘felt like home’. As a little boy growing up above the funeral home, it was natural for Michael Gibbons to think of the space this way because it was home to his family.

 Updating, redecorating, always focusing on the experience of the family and their guests at Gibbons Family Funeral Home has always been and continues to be a strong focus for Michael Gibbons and his family.  When Katie Sweeney’s grandmother passed, her mother made a very specific request that her services be at Gibbons Family Funeral Home, because it was pretty, and it was comfortable, and it felt like home. Katie confirmed that the warmth of this environment was a big help to her family. “It was such an inviting place for our family and friends. During a difficult time when we were there for hours on end, the comfort and the warmth were always there for us”, adding “It made things a little bit easier for all of us”.

 At Gibbons Family Funeral Home, we look for every way we can to make the process of celebrating the life of your loved one an experience that families can share in an environment that makes it accommodating to your family, your friends and neighbors. It’s among the most meaningful and purposeful thing we do to continue serving generations of families who entrust us with their loved ones when it matters most.

For any questions you may have about At-need services or pre-planning, don’t hesitate to contact us. 773-777-3944 or www.gffh.com

 

 

 

To Connect with Gibbons Family Funeral Home:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gibbonsfamilyfuneralhome/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gibbonsffh

Blog: https://gibbonsffh.wordpress.com/

Website: http://www.gffh.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHm0CEUcnYWO_05FgwNZiAw

IT ALL STARTS WITH LISTENING

Eileen O’Grady Newell describes a feeling everyone has when it comes to planning funeral arrangements; “We’re all so stressed out.”

The Gibbons Family understands “stressed out.” Whether they see it, hear it or sense it, they know that feeling is an overwhelming one that every family feels when they have a very short time to do something very important. And do it right. What’s right? Whatever the family needs are what is right if you ask Michael Gibbons. “The most important thing we can do is observe and listen closely to our families to know what is important beyond the usual details of helping them cope with a loss and receive their friends and families in a comfortable and loving environment”, is how Michael describes it.

Eileen shared, “I feel like they knew what we wanted before we said it.” And the Gibbons Family does know. Mostly because they listen. Something that is “important” and something “that would be nice” are things they pay close attention to so they can make sure those things are taken care of. During the procession to the cemetery, Eileen’s father observed how comforting and meaningful it was driving past the family home. He then thought and whispered it would be nice for them to pass his daughter’s resting place on the way to his wife’s cemetery service at her resting place. A great listener made the decision in the blink of an eye for the procession to pass the children’s section where his daughter was at rest on the way. It was a little thing that meant so much because a family listened to a family they were serving. But it actually wasn’t a little thing at all. It meant the world to a grieving husband and father to check in on everyone he loved. That’s what a family-owned business does. Because the family has a larger meaning in these times of need.

For any information on at-need or pre-planning services, feel free to contact us at 773-777-3944 or www.gffh.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, our family is here to serve yours.

 

 

To Connect with Gibbons Family Funeral Home:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gibbonsfamilyfuneralhome/

Twitter: @gibbonsffh

Blog: https://gibbonsffh.wordpress.com/

Website: http://www.gffh.com/

 

 

 

 

An inviting and warmhearted place. Like home.

 

For Michael Gibbons, having families invite people to a place very much like home was natural. For the Gibbons Family, their buildings were their home. They lived upstairs, answered the phone at whatever time it rang, because it was their mission and privilege to be there for families. Michael’s father Thomas Gibbons understood clearly how important it was for families to be able to come into a comfortable and inviting place to receive their extended families and friends in respect of their loved ones. No detail was ever left to chance. The surroundings needed to provide beauty, peace of mind, and more than anything else; comfort.

Katie Sweeney’s family understood this too. “When my grandma passed away, my mother told me we need to contact the Gibbons Family. We know them. We trust them. When we came in, we knew we were home. It was comfortable,” said Katie, adding, “It was so inviting at that difficult time and it made things easier because we were here”.

“The Sweeney’s are special to us, as are all the families who place their trust in our family at their most difficult moments” is how Michael Gibbons sums up the closeness of the Gibbons Family to the neighborhood and the communities, parishes and organizations they work closely with and serve. The Gibbon’s want every family to feel at home for the time our home becomes their home. It’s meaningful and it’s purposeful to us to continue to ensure that is always how people feel here. It matters more than anything else.

To discuss at-need or pre-planning or any questions you may have, contact Gibbons Family Funeral Home at 773-777-3944 or gffh.com We’re here 24 hours a day, every day of the year for our families.

To Connect with Gibbons Family Funeral Home:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gibbonsfamilyfuneralhome/

Twitter: @gibbonsffh

Blog: https://gibbonsffh.wordpress.com/

Website: http://www.gffh.com/

We had no idea these Veteran’s Services were available to us.

 

 

“If it weren’t for the Gibbons Family we would not have known that such meaningful and important services were available to my dad and our family”, states Barbara Murphy, adding “my dad passed away at 74 years old and it had been 50 years since he served. Other than to say how proud he was of his service to our country, he really didn’t talk about his service so much”.

 

The first question Michael Gibbons asked was if Barbara’s father was a Veteran. He was.  From there, the Gibbons took care of everything to ensure the military honors were bestowed upon Mr. Murphy. Barbara remembers a moment during the service where the American Flag was being folded. From her vantage point, the flag was hovering above her father. Her description was “it took our breath away”.

 

A United States Marine will often repeat the credo that “Once a Marine, you are always a Marine”. The ceremony was moving to every person there. Barbara shares that had it not been for the Gibbons Family, they would never have known that her father was entitled to these services that were earned by his service.

Veterans are entitled to many services including burial at no charge at a National Cemetery like the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois. For additional information about Military benefits and honors, Pre-planning, At need planning or any questions you may have, contact us, 24 hours a day at Gibbons Family Funeral Home 773-777-3944 or visit www.gffh.com

To Connect with Gibbons Family Funeral Home:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gibbonsfamilyfuneralhome/

Twitter: @gibbonsffh

Blog: https://gibbonsffh.wordpress.com/

Website: http://www.gffh.com/

 

The Gibbons Family Just Knew What We Wanted Without Our Having To Ask

Being a good listener is important in Funeral Services. Within the grief and confusion that loss creates, families bring up memories and important details of life that matter to them. It’s in listening to those phrases and thoughts where greater intuitive service is born.

Eileen O’Grady Newell experienced it herself. She describes the myriad of events surrounding services for her mom. In her words, “If you’re planning a wedding, you have six months to a year. In a case like this, you only have a few days. And the mindset is a lot different”. So true.

She relates that the Gibbons knew what to do, took care of all the details, and reminded them of things they needed to do. And then they did the extra things because they listened so carefully. When Eileen’s father said how nice it was to bring the procession past his house, it reminded him of their visits to the Children’s section where his daughter was laid to rest. An alert and conscientious Michael Gibbons rerouted the procession to pass the Children’s Section for Eileen’s dad. It was a little thing that meant so much because a family listened to a family they were serving. That’s what a family does. Gibbons Family Funeral Home treats you like family. Because you are.

For any information on at-need or pre-planning services, feel free to contact us at 773-777-3944 or www.gffh.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, our family is here to serve yours.

 

To Connect with Gibbons Family Funeral Home:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gibbonsfamilyfuneralhome/
Twitter: @gibbonsffh
Blog: https://gibbonsffh.wordpress.com/
Website: http://www.gffh.com