ABOUT US
Of the leading funeral homes in North Little Rock, we are the only locally-owned and operated firm. We constantly strive to enhance our services and make our home the very best that it can be; we achieve this by anticipating the needs and wishes of our families.
North Little Rock Funeral Home & Cremation Service has the only state-of-the-art Cremation Center in the greater Little Rock area that is located at the funeral home. We have complete control and oversight of the cremation. "Your loved one never leaves our care"
The Smith family has proudly served the community with compassion and dignity since 1955. For over 50 years now, we have understood that funerals are for the living; they are a celebration and a remembrance of a life. With that understanding, we take the utmost care to ensure that every service is meaningful and special.
We have always prided ourselves on the professional and caring service that we offer to you and your family. You can be confident knowing that our staff provides guidance and assistance to every family, regardless of when our services are needed.
Our funeral home provides a full range of funeral service options, from the traditional religious service to simple cremation. Each family is provided with the opportunity to learn about and discuss the wide variety of funeral service options available to them.
DO YOU OWN OTHER FUNERAL HOMES IN THE STATE?
Yes, March 1, 2008 we purchased Westbrook Funeral Home and Meadowbrook Memorial Gardens in Beebe, Arkansas. We are happy to say that all of Westbrook's employees have chosen to remain. Jeff Smith is the funeral home manager.
For your convenience, burial insurance, life insurance or pre-arrangement contracts with either North Little Rock Funeral Home or Westbrook Funeral Home can be used at the location nearest you.
Westbrook Funeral Home & Meadowbrook Memorial Gardens Cemetery
404 W. Dewitt Henry Drive
Beebe, Arkansas 72012
(501)882-5412
www.westbrookfuneralhome.com
VALUE OF A FUNERAL SERVICE
The purpose of a funeral is to provide a way of commemorating a life and drawing together friends and family members so that they can support each other as they share memories. Although different religious communities have created set formats or rituals that they follow in conducting funeral services, there really is not a right or wrong way to do a funeral.
The most important thing to keep in mind when creating a service or commemoration is that it should be reflective of the person who has died. While religious elements may play a part, it should also include stories about the person's life that help everyone recapture and revisit their own memories. Sometimes this is best accomplished by having friends or family members share their reflections as part of the service. Some people personalize the service with special music (which may be religious or non-religious). Others bring in pictures to have at the service. Sometimes favorite things that belonged to the deceased are integrated into the ceremony such as wood carvings, golf clubs or even a motor cycle.
The goal is to give a true sense of who this person was. There is nothing wrong with telling funny stories about the person who died: a funeral recognizes the sad event of a death, but can include humor.
Whether or not an open casket is part of the ceremony is an individual family choice. The main reason that we have any "viewing," is because that allows people to have a physical presence to focus on when saying their goodbyes. Since most people are very visually inclined by nature, it seems to help them to see the person for the death to be "real" to them and allows them to better focus to begin to tidy up the loose ends that they have with this person. A funeral helps people begin to complete their relationship with the person who died, and sometimes seeing the body helps.
The value of the service depends on how it is constructed. Our family attempts to create funerals that leave families and friends feeling very lucky that the deceased was a part of their lives: the music, the stories, the whole nature of the person being well integrated into the service that it captures just who they were.