LIMA — Holidays revolve around family. From getting together over a Thanksgiving meal to exchanging gifts at Christmas, holidays bring loved ones together.
That is what makes the holiday season especially poignant for people who have lost loved ones, seeing all the joy of the season playing out around them but knowing someone is missing from their own celebrations. The goal of Chiles-Laman Funeral Home’s annual Tree of Remembrance service, now in its 25th year, is to help people commemorate deceased loved ones as they enter the Christmas season.
“It started originally for people who had lost someone that year,” Chiles-Laman President Bob Laman said. “I think the first year, we had about 125 reservations, and now we have about 500 reservations. We think that if we get much over 500, we’re going to have to do two services.”
In the years that followed, the service has grown to include loved ones who have died in previous years, with several families making the service part of their yearly Christmas observances.
“We’ve had a lot of people come up during the reception after the service and talk about what this means to them,” Laman said.
The service is ecumenically based, with both Catholic and Protestant officiants. This year’s service, to be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at Chiles-Laman’s Shawnee Road chapel, will be led by the Rev. Jim Szobonya of Lima’s St. Gerard Catholic Church and the Rev. Randy Davis of Lima First Assembly of God. Musical entertainment is also provided, with a 9-foot decorated Christmas tree adorning the chapel foyer.
Another hallmark of this service is an ornament with the name of the deceased loved one available for families. One ornament is provided to the family of the deceased for free, with ornaments for other family members available for $25 each.
“It started with just an ornament that we wrote the name on, but in recent years, we’ve had angels and butterflies, and we’ve used a crystal snowflake the last couple of years,” Laman said. “We’ve upgraded the ornament considerably since the beginning.”
Anyone wishing to attend the service is asked to make a reservation by calling 419-228-5474. Personalized ornaments are still available upon request.
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