Tag: community

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/

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 helped us bring Maureen home to Ireland

Michael Gibbons and his family have been long time volunteers of the Irish American Heritage Center. When Maureen, a senior member and founder of the IAHC passed away, it was imperative that her final resting place be in the town she was raised in Ireland. “This can really be a complicated situation, but Michael Gibbons made all of the calls and coordinated the transportation. If it wasn’t for Michael, it wouldn’t have happened” says John Gorski. Adding “My wife and I were able to get on the plane and take Maureen back home. He made it seem simple when it wasn’t”. Mr. & Mrs. Gorski did accompany Maureen to her final resting place. Together, her friends honored her wishes.

Families have many circumstances they need to cope with when a loved one passes away. The Gibbons Family has been helping families cope with loss for 3 generations and consider it their honor to do so. “No matter what we need to do to help people, we will,” says Michael Gibbons. Amid all the arrangements that need to be made and coordination of family and friends, the most important thing every family needs to be able to do is celebrate the life of someone they loved and not worry about anything else during that time. The Gibbons Family knows and understands this.

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/

When a First Responder passes away, it’s a special homecoming

John Leonard’s dad passed away in North Carolina. Bringing him back to Chicago was a process directed and taken care of by the Gibbons Family. As a Lieutenant of the Chicago Fire Department, Mr. Leonard was transported by plane back to Chicago. Upon arriving at the airport to pick up Mr. Leonard, Michael Gibbons was directed with his hearse to the tarmac where Firetrucks with crossed ladders along with dozens of Fire Department personnel in dress uniforms standing at attention were already honoring their brother Fireman and Officer. Then, with their lights at full brightness and movement, the motorcade of fire equipment and the Gibbon’s hearse with Lt. Leonard on board were escorted to the funeral home. As John remembers it, “it was quite something”.

 

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 extends through to the moment when they say good bye to a fallen officer and send them home.

 

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/

Technology Can Be So Helpful in the Grieving Process.

Gibbons Family Funeral Home has added an electronic guestbook for families we serve. By recording information electronically, it eliminates issues reading handwriting or accidentally missing a guest on a page. After the funeral services are complete, we provide pre-addressed envelopes for each person or family who registered for our families to make the process of sending acknowledgement cards easier and much faster for them. People have become easily accustomed to using the Guestbook and the records are very easy for our families to access afterward.

Joe Wright, the developer of the software for our electronic registry book had the opportunity to see his work first hand with a beloved member of his own family. “When my own grandmother passed away and her services were held at Gibbons, I had an opportunity to see how well our system worked. It was a relief to see that it did make things much easier for guests and especially families after the visitation” according to Joe. The Gibbons Family is always working to find ways to make the very difficult time of loss a little bit easier. And in this case, technology has been added to help. “Michael Gibbons is always open to expanding and adding services to the families he serves” says Joe. Adding, “this really is a big help”.

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/

The Gibbons Family supported us when we suffered our losses.

 

Laurie Beckman has had very difficult experiences with loss in her life. So difficult that it is very hard to talk about, but important to her to share.

 

Laurie lost a very new baby boy who was born very premature at 21 weeks, weighing 8 oz. He passed very shortly after his birth. Her family had the opportunity to celebrate his very brief love-filled life and know that he was being cared for with great love and compassion by the Gibbons Family.  Laurie lost her mom to pancreatic cancer. She passed away 8 months after the diagnosis. Laurie’s mom was remarkably special to her; an amazing and supportive woman. Losing her was very difficult. Laurie entrusted her arrangements to the family she knew would take care of every detail. Laurie then lost another son who had become ill at 1 year of age. As overwhelming as this much loss was in a relatively short period of time, Laurie feels that the Gibbons Family shared in all of her difficulty and loss and were there for her in a way she could hardly explain.

 

“I trusted this family. Anything we needed, they were there. They are extremely caring; wonderful. They knew what we needed”, is how Laurie explains it.

 

As difficult as it is to discuss, the grieving of losses, especially profound losses, is important to Laurie. She counts her blessings dearly and among them are a family who knew what to do, when and how and take care of every detail that required attention. All the while, they grieved too. “Our families are bonded and there for one another. When Laurie says we were like her family, we’re humbled and grateful to know that. She’s very much a part of the Gibbons Family”, says Michael Gibbons. Adding, “we’re honored”.

 

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/