If you’re not sure what the difference between a funeral home and mortuary is, you’re not alone. It’s a common question Fossum Funeral Home in Onalaska, WI, receives from people outside of the industry. While there are many similarities, there are a few distinct differences between the two. 

Funeral Home

Funeral homes provide a setting solely for the comfort of grieving families and friends. These establishments offer a full range of options, such as memorial services complete with photos, videos, caskets, and urns. A director and their staff are there to comfort and counsel loved ones after the passing of someone close to them.

Funeral homes are decorated with comfortable sitting areas to accommodate many guests, as well as other amenities to ensure mourners are taken care of. Sometimes, the staff is trained in grief counseling and offer extended services to help families cope with the loss, such as support groups. For the deceased, they will coordinate burial and cremation necessities and any paperwork relating to death certificates. Some staff can assist in writing and publishing an obituary. 

Mortuary

A mortuary’s focus is the care and preparation of the deceased’s body. They might offer brief viewings, but their services are less extensive than a funeral home. Mortuaries are limited in space and cannot accommodate the same number of guests; any viewings are held only for close family. Their services rarely go further than preparing the body, and they are not trained in the grief aspect like funeral directors are. The biggest difference is that a mortuary will provide on-site cremation. While some states require a funeral director to be present during preparations of the deceased, Wisconsin, however, does not.

Fossum Funeral Home in Onalaska offers compassionate services when a loved one passes. For more than 90 years, the facility’s licensed directors and staff have provided funeral planning, grief counseling, and memorial service arrangements for grieving families and friends. Visit their website for a list of services at this funeral home or call (608) 783-9777.