Scenes from Memorial Weekend 2018…

Bronze statue on top of Veteran Columbarium in the Veteran Section (Section 17)

Calumet Park thanks all who visited the park this weekend to pay their respects.  Thousands of cars passed through the gates over the weekend with people coming out to remember their lost loved ones.

Battle of the Bulge tribute monument. Next visit to the cemetery, get a close-up look at the monument. There are scenes etched into the granite of the battle. On the back of the monument is a map of Europe showing how the battle lines between good and evil bulged but never broke with the good guys winning, thanks to our wonderful troops.

Video Monument showing a short photo history of Paul Vogel Sr., former CEO of Calumet Park Cemetery, with his motorcycle and with the Harley Hears. Paul passed away a few months ago and is sorely missed.

Veteran Section with thousands of flags flying high in honor of all vets buried at Calumet Park Cemetery.

Special Veteran Monument overlooking the thousands of graves of yesterdays heros…all those who proudly wore the uniform of the US military.

Awaiting the color guard…

Wolff Gang choral group from Hobart High School.

Invocation for Veterans Memorial Ceremony with Pastor Dan Jacobsen from Bethel Church in Hobart

Captain James Wiltshire, USNR (ret) giving the keynote address for the Veterans Ceremony.

Music provided by Merrillville High School Symphonic Band…

Merrillville High School band.

Presentation of the wreaths before the Veterans Memorial…

Some of America’s finest ready for gun salute.

One of the many religious services held throughout the park on Memorial Day.

Harry Stemph, retired military and member of the Knights of Columbus, getting ready for procession to Catholic Mass at the Priest’s Circle.

  For information on pre-planning your cemetery and funeral needs, call 219-769-8803 or stop in and talk with one of our no-pressure family service counselors.

2017 Spring Newsletter

Family enjoying a day of fishing at previous Catch and Release events that happen every Spring at Calumet Park Cemetery. Click on newsletter link for more information.

2017 Spring Newsletter  Click here to see the newsletter.  A complete schedule of the Memorial Weekend events are listed.  Also, there are a number of other community oriented activities that you may want to save the date for that are shown in the newsletter.  Thank you for following us on facebook.  If you have any needs or questions about the cemetery, our funeral homes or prearranging, feel free to call.  Visit our website at www.calumetparkcemetery.com

Celebrating your love…

Kim Jones (on left) with Darrel and Mrs. McNeal at official grand opening of Rendina Funeral Home. Kim is a Certified Celebrant and can help you at any of our facilities. Darrel is our liaison with Batesville casket company.

It may sound strange to celebrate the life of a loved one that just died.   Yet, think of the last funeral you attended and what much of your conversation was about.  You shared memories of the good times with that person, and the good things about that person that helped to create the good times.  Grief will come.  There will be plenty of time to grieve.  But for the moments when you gathered to say goodbye to the person who passed and hello to so many others that you had not seen for so long, a celebration of a life that was lived helps with the healing process.

To have a fitting, respectful and beautiful goodbye is part of the reason that we carry on the ritual of the funeral.  At Calumet Park Funeral Chapels in Merrillville and Hobart, and Rendina Funeral Home in Gary, the services of a Certified Funeral Celebrant are available for families who are charged with the duties of final arrangements.  Calumet Park’s Celebrant is a  funeral director with special training to help produce a final goodbye that leaves a warm place in the hearts of those who cared enough to attend the funeral of your loved one.

What is a Celebrant?  A Celebrant is a person who is trained and certified to meet the needs of families during their time of loss.  A Celebrant serves by providing a funeral service that is personalized to reflect the personality and life-style of the deceased.  A Celebrant offers an alternative to a service provided by a clergy person for those families who are not affiliated with a church or who do not wish to have a traditional religious funeral service.

A Celebrant has been specifically trained to design a service that is completely personal.  They incorporate those unique stories, songs and experiences that defined the loved one.  A  Celebrant will schedule a special family time for the family to share memories, anecdotes, and special moments in the loved one’s life.  The essence of the service will be based upon the remembrances of the family.

A Celebrant has a library of resources available for readings, music, ceremonies and personal touches.  The Celebrant will consult with the family to help design a service that best reflects and memorializes the life of their loved one.

A Celebrant is bound by a code of ethics for complete confidentiality in all dealings with the family.  He or she will provide a special unique committal service at the cemetery with balloon releases, dove releases, special music, friends and families leaving special notes on the loved one’s casket, and much more.

Kim Jones, funeral director and  manager of all three funeral homes, is a Certified Celebrant.  She will sit down with the entire family and let the family share stories and reminisce about their loved one.  During this time, which can last an hour or two, she will listen carefully and ask questions to gain a better understanding of your loved one during your grieving process.

Everyone grieves differently and it is healthy to express your feelings, tell stories and remember the beauty that was your loved one.  According to Doug Manning of IN-SIGHT BOOKS, INC., “Your loved one are never gone if you keep their memories alive.”   A Certified Celebrant is trained to seek and provide the most comprehensive and sensitive training available for people wishing to develop their knowledge and skills of this profession of funeral directing.  It is important that a family knows they are being served by someone who understands the process and is prepared to offer the very best and most personal funeral possible.

Call Kim at 219-736-5840 for more information regarding Certified Funeral Celebrants.  Find out if including a Celebrant as part of your funeral is right for you.

From the archives….

Found in the archives, the invitation that was sent out for the dedication of the Catholic Sections from back in 1933.  Calumet Park, always and still family owned and operated.

From its humble beginnings in 1928, Calumet Park has grown to be one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the country.  Besides the cemetery, Calumet Park now owns and operates two crematories and three funeral homes:  Calumet Park Funeral Chapel in Merrillville, Rendina Funeral Home in Gary and Calumet Park Funeral Chapel and Crematory in Hobart.

For information on pre-planning your cemetery and funeral arrangements, call 219-769-8803 or stop in for a tour of any of our facilities.  Find out more about us by reading some of the posts in this blog or go to http://calumetparkcemetery.com

Calumet Park Cemetery in Merrillville adds casket display area that is family friendly…

Calumet Park Cemetery in Merrillville recently added a casket display area at the cemetery.  There are so many people wishing to pre-arrange their cemetery and funeral needs that it has become a must to have a place that they can see the actual caskets and fabrics for the interior without having to go to a local funeral home.

You may click on any photo to enlarge it to see the detail of design and color.  All the caskets shown are Batesville caskets made in the USA in Batesville, Indiana.  Batesville is one of the oldest and biggest casket manufacturing companies in the country.  They are highly respected and admired for the quality and variety of their products, from simple to “how much?”  There is literally a design that meets all budgets.

Stop in for a free tour of the room and consider preplanning with Calumet Park using our interest free monthly payment plans, and do not forget to ask about our veteran program.

Call 219-769-8803, or stop by any of our locations as shown on our website http://calumetparkcemetery.com

New Calumet Park Funeral Home in Hobart has ribbon cutting ceremony with the Chamber’s of Commerce of Hobart and Portage…

On December 15 the Chamber of Commerce for both Hobart and Portage joined together in a ribbon cutting ceremony at Calumet Park Funeral Chapel in Hobart.  the funeral home is located just south of Ridge Road on County Line Road between Hobart and Portage.  Considering the day was the coldest of the year to that point, a nice turn-out of local businesses and residents stopped by for the ceremony.

Location supervisor Roy McNeal and his assistant, Mike Poweska, had the newly renovated funeral home looking great.  The entire Board of Directors joined in the ceremony, with gifts handed out to all attendees.  Hobart Mayor, Brian Snedecor welcomed Calumet Park to the business community, and both Lisa Winstead from Hobart and Nancy Simpson from Portage shared some thoughts as the ribbon was cut making Calumet Park an official member of the community.

Stop by anytime for a private tour of the facility and meet the staff.  For more info, call 219-940-3791.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New funeral home open for business in Hobart/Portage

New signage at Calumet Park Funeral Chapel and Crematory on County Line Road in Hobart

There have been many, many families from Hobart, Portage and Lake Station that have family at Calumet Park Cemetery in Merrillville.  For years, families have asked for us to build a funeral home closer to where they live and work.  Although families love the peace, serenity and beauty of Calumet Park as a final resting place, having a funeral home a little closer to home for visitations would make those days immediately following a death easier on survivors.

The time is now for this request to be fulfilled.  A very large funeral home, located one half mile south of Route 6 on County Line Road separating Hobart and Portage has been sitting vacant for the past year.  The new name of the funeral home is Calumet Park Funeral Chapel and Crematory, and as the name states, there is a crematory on the premises.  This is reassuring for a family to know that their loved one is never out of our watchful and attentive care

Calumet Park has spent the past six months renovating the entire building and crematory.  It is truly a wonderful addition to the community, and it is hoped that readers of this blog will stop in for a free tour at your convenience.  For those who tour any of our funeral homes (Gary, Merrillville, and now, Hobart/Portage) through the end of August can have a 25% off sales coupon validated and benefit for this special sale through the end of August.

From the very inviting brick fireplace that greets you upon entering the funeral home to the very spacious visitation rooms just to the left, the decorators achieved turning a building that was in total disrepair into a comfortable, friendly home for funerals.  With an abundance of windows that offer natural lighting during the day to softer lighting for the evening, the renovation team presents families with a facility large enough to accommodate any size gathering into a place that is intimate and relaxing.  With parking for over 100 cars or trucks and everything on one floor, convenience is a big part of the equation as we prepared a facility with your needs in mind.

Many people attend funerals as a chance to pay respect to the decedent and his or her loved ones, but do not want to spend much time at the funeral home.   There oftentimes seems to be a feeling of dread seeing the dead, and when the Feng Shui of the building is off, a visitor’s sense of peace is off too.  Calumet Park has developed a company culture that allows for the celebration of a life that was lived, and that starts with the ambiance one experiences upon entering this new funeral home.  There is plenty of time for grieving when we lose someone we love.  So, by making a funeral home setting that is inviting and open, families tend to stay longer, visit more, and welcome the opportunity to re-new old relationships.

The funeral home is centrally located to all cemeteries in Lake and Porter Counties which is an attractive plus for any funeral home.  Calumet Park serves all faiths, all races, all creeds and all cemeteries in the region.  The funeral home is staffed with professional, caring people with the experience to make this major event in one’s life momentous.  Traditional funerals are available.  Also available is a willingness on the part of Calumet Park and staff to create a celebration of sorts…a chance to design something a little different to match the uniqueness of the person who has passed.

Like motorcycles?  Calumet Park has a Harley Hearse as part of its rolling stock.  The traditional hearse is always available, but for some, to be taken to their final resting place in a Harley, well…

We invite you to stop in at any time for a look around Hobart and Portage’s newest funeral home.  Many people come to that time in their life and they fear the entire process.  One of the best ways to remove such fears is to stop in, look around, ask any questions that come to mind, see that a funeral director is just a regular person who has dedicated his or her life to serving families in their time of need, and you will feel greater peace than those who fear the unknown.  Let our caring staff be your bridge to overcoming such fear and apprehension.  There is no obligation but a simple informational tour is a chance for you to appreciate the old adage of knowledge is power.

If you have an immediate need, or are in an eminent death circumstance, call 219-940-3791 for help in guiding you through the difficult days ahead.

Hope to see you at the Lake County Fair in August.  Stop by and get the 25% off coupon mentioned above.

Stop in and see the changes when you are in the neighborhood…

Look for the grand opening of Calumet Park Funeral Chapel and Crematory of Hobart and Portage.  Located just south of Route 6 on County Line Road between Hobart and Portage, this facility is now open to serve Hobart and Portage families.  Stop in when passing by and have a free tour of the building.  A complete remodeling of the building will greet families as they pass through the main entrance to the funeral home.

There is parking for 98 vehicles, and the funeral home has the size and staff to easily serve two families at the same time.  The building is approximately 12,000 square feet and there is a crematory on the premises.

This is the third funeral home acquired by Calumet Park Cemetery since 2004.  The first funeral home was purchased in 2004 on the site of the original Stilinovich and Wiatrolik funeral home on Taft in Merrillville, and in 2014 a smart investment was made in adding Rendina Funeral Home to serve local families and their funeral needs.  Rendina is just two miles north of the cemetery on Cleveland in Gary.  Calumet Park, started in 1928, is still owned and operated by the same families.  Calumet Park and its affiliates have the funeral home resources to help 500 families a year through one of life’s greatest challenges…the death of a loved one…and the next few days after such a loss.   Already serving over 600 families with their cemetery needs, the addition of funeral homes makes this transition between life and death much easier for the families that suffer a loss.

Call now at 219-940-3791 to find out how the right place with the right people may be just what you are looking for from your cemetery and funeral providers.

Special combination sale honoring mom’s and dad’s and veterans for Memorial Weekend…good thru 6-14-16

As a way to honor our veterans and all mom’s and dad’s, Calumet Park Cemetery is having a special sale on preneed graves, monuments, flush markers and in the new Veteran Memorial Columbarium.  A columbarium is a special memorial place of remembrance for those veterans that prefer cremation.

The sale discounts are:  25% off all Veteran Columbarium Niches, 20% off all preneed graves and 15% off all monuments and flush granite and bronze on granite markers.  Please note, the monument and marker discounts do not apply to foundations and setting of markers, and the offer cannot be combined with other advertising discount plans.

Call today and save, or stop in … no appointment necessary.  219-769-8803

Memorial Weekend Schedule

May 28 at 10:00 a.m. Descent of Holy Ghost service

May 28 at 7:00 p.m. fireworks, hay ride, lantern release and more

May 29 at 1:00 p.m. Veteran’s Memorial Service

May 30 at 10:00 a.m. Catholic service, St. Sava Serbian Orthodox service, 1st Presbyterian Church of Merrillville service

May 30 at 11:30 SS Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox service

See you there.  Have a happy and safe holiday weekend and enjoy your summer.

Problems….

If there is no solution to the problem then don’t waste time worrying about it.  If there is a solution to the problem, then don’t waste time worrying about it.  So says the Dalai Lama.  A better approach may be to turn those small and big problems over to a higher power and together find a solution.

You can find peace by stepping back and trusting.  Faith is a beautiful thing as all problems have solutions.  Just not always the one’s that we may have envisioned.

For solutions to your cemetery and funeral needs, call 219-769-8803 and visit our website at calumetparkcemetery.com