An ice cream truck leads the funeral prOcession, and after the rites are said, those in attendance are given frozen treats at the funeral of an ice cream man. This is just one of the personalized touches that are being put into funerals.

Personal touches have been a part of funerals for a long time, but now, more funerals are having individual touches, said local funeral home director Doggett Whitaker.

“Today's families are bringing new values, preferences and opinions that are changing the world of funeral service. They are thinking differently about how they want to honor their loved ones, and have new perceptions of the funeral service profession,” according to the National Funeral Directors' Association (NFDA).

Today, Whitaker says, he is seeing more pictures being set up at funerals, and personal touches like rakes and hoes for gardeners, or rods and reels for fishermen being used at services.

Also, while most are still buried in suits and dresses, more and more people are being buried in the garb of their everyday life, like blue jeans and overalls.

One of the biggest changes, said Whitaker, is the use of non-religious music. Some even request musical instruments that are non-traditional in American funeral tradition, like bagpipes.

A number of families are choosing to have poems or letters read, and more lay people are conducting the services instead of ministers.

“It is all about helping the family and honoring the dead,” said Whitaker.

“With the rise of the baby boomers, funeral service consumers are making funeral decisions based on different values than their previous generation,” the NFDA states. “Boomers and seniors have a strong commitment to and appreciation for the value of funeral service and are seeking a meaningful service that provides a connection to their loved one, and a celebration of the life that was lived.

“Many consumers also are seeking products, services and experiences that are different than those that have been included in the traditional funeral service. Their decisions are more event-based than product-based.”

Also, due to the spread out nature of many modern families, more people are preplanning their funerals. Some chalk up this trend to the Baby Boomer generation too.

Not only can a funeral be customized, but so can a casket. In today's market of choices, caskets can have designer panels featuring a hobby such as hunting and fishing scenes or even the insignia of a military branch or sporting team.

Type of burial is also a place for individualism. While a growing number of clients are choosing cremation, others elect to be buried on their own property.

Whitaker does point out that this could effect the resale value of the property and that once someone is buried on the property, it is always considered a cemetery. It is also not

easy to move those that have been buried.

While ashes of those cremated were traditionally thrown to the wind or placed in an urn on the mantle, others are choosing to have their loved ones turned into jewelry or art.

Today, the carbon of human ashes can be pressed into diamonds, or mixed with paint to become a picture. There is also jewelry that is designed to hold ashes, reminiscent of the still-popular keepsake urns.

In an example of an old tradition renewed, some people are keeping locks of their loved one's hair to remember them.

Many families are also choosing to return to the old tradition of taking the body home for visitation.

“There are so many options and a wide range of costs,“ said Whitaker.

Some families are now even asking the funeral homes to have meals catered for them, or help them host a reception in honor of the deceased person.

Other families release balloons or doves to help the loved one “fly away.“

Then there is accounting for people in other parts of the country and world with differing customs.

Some have funerals at night, and in the north people are not interred in the winter due to frozen ground.

Whitaker says it is all about the wants and needs of the individuals involved.