Winter Coat Drive

  a Huge Success!

The coat collection box at the Gately Funeral Home in Melrose overflowed with the generosity of the community during the Gately Funeral Home Winter Coat Drive.  More than 100 gently-used adult and children's coats were collected and donated to two area charities.       

        
     "The women's and children's coats were donated to Heading Home, a local shelter for battered women who are trying to make a fresh start with their children," explained John Gately, owner and funeral director of Gately Funeral Home.  "More than three huge bags of coats were also donated to the Salvation Army in Saugus.  In addition, we delivered another two large bags of winter coats to the North Conway, NH Chamber of Commerce, which they distributed to the needy in the White Mountains."    

    
     Gately added, "This was our first coat drive and it went very well ... even better than we expected.  We will certainly consider making this an annual event.  We want to thank the community for supporting this coat drive.  We are awed by their support and generosity for this worthy cause.  The cold weather came early this year and it looks like this will be the coldest winter in a long time.  We're happy that these coats will provide warmth to needy families."

 
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 SPOTLIGHT ON
 FRED SPRAGUE



    Many of you will recognize the smiling face of Fred Sprague who has been an integral part of Gately Funeral Home for the last 25 years. Fred is our spotlighted employee this month!

   Fred Sprague grew up in a funeral home ... his grandfather was a funeral director and was Fred's namesake. His dad, Ken, was also a funeral director and owner of Sprague Funeral Home in Malden. "Growing up in a funeral home didn't seem strange to me ... it was very natural. My friends all thought it was 'cool'! I learned to be quiet during visiting hours and I would even greet the visitors as they came in. It all became second nature for me. I lived there until the age of about eight, moving after my dad died and my mom remarried."

   Fred didn't come into funeral service directly. He went to cooking school after high school, thinking that because he really liked to cook, like his father before him, he would make a career of it. But he learned, "It just wasn't for me."

   He worked in the insurance business and as a marketer, but came around to funeral service when in the spring of 1986, he worked part-time for Sprague Funeral Home and Gately Funeral Home. Years later, in 1999, he met up with John Gately, who asked him, "...still have your black suit?" After working for John, he decided - with John's urging - to go to the Funeral Institute of New England in Norwood to earn his certification as a licensed funeral director. Fred, reflected, "I knew that this was what God intended me to be."

   Fred explains, "I know that funeral service is in my blood - it never feels like I am coming to work. It's just WHO I am. I get the satisfaction every day of helping to get people through the worst week of their lives. I get hugs and thank yous. People are grateful for the way I have prepared their loved ones - they say things like, 'My husband looks like I remember him before the illness.'"

   John Gately says, "Fred is a tremendous asset to Gately Funeral Home. He is more like a brother than an employee. "

   Fred added, "I am very fortunate to have known John for over 25 years. We've been together for a long time and we still haven't had our first argument! "

   Fred Sprague is married to Nancy and they have two daughters, Diana, 27; Brittany, 18; and a son, Logan, 14. "Diana has blessed us with a granddaughter, Sienna, who is 3 ½ years old and the light of our lives. What could possibly be better?"  

 Frequently Asked Questions
 

How can I personalize my loved one's funeral?
 

   Years ago families depended on the church and the funeral home to take care of all the details of a funeral service.  Funeral service, like all important social customs, must evolve to meet the needs of the times. Today people want to be more involved in the planning and participation of the actual service.  They are looking for ways to make the service a true celebration of life.    A personalized funeral is a unique expression of a life that reflects the way that person lived and what was important to them.  At Gately Funeral Home, we are pleased to help you plan a service that is all that you want it to be.
 

   We had a service here at Gately Funeral Home that included the deceased's Harley Davidson Motorcycle.  An avid biker, it was absolutely appropriate for his motorcycle to be next to the casket during visitation.  We had a John Deere tractor for a local pig farmer.  We have personalized the interior lid of the casket with musical notes or a particular instrument for a musician.  We have many casket corners - carved wood figures or cast metal medallions - that depict a hobby, like fishing or hunting or ones that honor military service or college alma maters.  There are many personalized urns and memory boxes too.
 

    Keep an open mind when thinking about personalization.  We've hung paintings that were made by an artist who died.  We've had golf clubs for a fervent golfer; a bingo table set up, honoring the deceased favorite pastime; and a specially carved scene on the casket lid of a moose for an outdoorsman.
 

   We've had bagpipers and special music for the funeral, including the Boston Horns, who play a New Orleans-type dirge to the burial and "The Saints Come Marching Home" on the return trip.  We've had balloons and doves and butterfly launches.  We create video memorial tributes that provide a lasting remembrance.  They feature 20 to 40 photographs and music to include in the service. 
 

   Think about the special qualities of the person who died and what he or she meant to others.  What were the passions, hobbies, vocation, and pastimes?  How can you capture this unique life?  Creativity is the key word; talk with family, friends, and your funeral director, who will help you to select the best way to remember and honor the person who died.