June 2002
The Director - Features
The Personal Touch
Creative ideas to personalize your interaction with families, as well as the funeral service
Using personalization techniques in funerals can help families through the grieving process and build their trust in funeral directors. In The Personal Touch, Terry W. Getz introduces several ideas on how to personalize a funeral for different people. Personalization can be accomplished in dramatic ways, such as releasing doves at a burial or having a marching band at a memorial service, or though subtle details, such as displaying a photo collage or handing out a personalized prayer card bearing a favorite Bible verse, poem or lyric.
Getz started working in the funeral service industry in 1965 and started Getz Funeral Home, based in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 1971. A graduate of the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science, Getz has served on many national committees of funeral industry associations. He was the two-time past president of New Mexico’s Funeral Directors Association and the past president of New Mexico’s Thanato Pracice State Board.
