Time and society have altered the final rites of passage from life to death, but the grieving still need the support of their friends and family when a loved one dies.

"Funerals are about like every other rite of passage in life, from baptism, confirmation, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, weddings," said John Maynard, president and chief executive officer of Sample O'Donnell Funeral Home in Sharon and Baird Funeral Home in Greenville. "The difference is, you're doing it in a very short time."

Visitations used to take place over three days at the family's home. Now one visitation, usually at the funeral home, followed by a service the next day is common, Maynard said.

"The visitation was held for three days, and the reason was ... it took that long for people to get there," Maynard said.

Technology and better, faster transportation enable family members to gather more quickly than in the days when not everyone had a car and air travel was nonexistent or reserved for the rich and famous.

"There's the old adage that the funeral is really a family reunion. It would take days for that to happen. Now it takes hours instead of days," Maynard said.

The times for visitations also have changed. Typically calling hours at a funeral home take place between 3 and 7 or 4 and 8 p.m., Maynard said. That allows both people who are working and older folks, who may not want to go out at night, to pay their last respects.

As for the funeral arrangements, Maynard said he is a strong believer in pre-arrangement because a grieving family, often emotionally and physically drained if the deceased also had a lengthy hospital stay, may be vulnerable and choose something inappropriate.

"You're looking at the worst possible day of your life, and you're sitting there making funeral arrangements. It's the worst low that can be brought to you," he said. "When you're prearranging, you're making these decisions in a more relaxed atmosphere.

People who plan their own funerals can choose favorite music, scripture passages, flowers and the setting, he said.

Another option -- cremation -- also has become more popular and more accepted in recent years, Maynard said.

"There are all sorts of reasons why people choose cremation, some of which I agree with, and some of which I don't."

Maynard said he is concerned when people choose cremation without any kind of funeral service.

"A final service with cremation is always my preference. People need closure. The only way to have closure is to view the body or have some ceremony with death as a rite of passage ... that's what we as human beings desire -- the ability and security of having our loved ones laid to rest in a compassionate manner."

He added that the family also has to decide what to do with the cremated remains, whether they are buried, scattered or kept in an urn.

Maynard stressed that while most funeral homes use an outside source for cremation, it does not mean the cremation is not being handled properly. Many funeral directors in this area use the Western Reserve Crematory in Struthers, Ohio, he said.

Every family is asked if it wants to be present at the cremation or would prefer to appoint a witness. Each body is cremated with a disc bearing the deceased's last name.

Maynard added he doesn't believe a situation like the one with the crematory in Georgia could happen here. Authorities there are continuing to search the woods around a crematory where more than 300 bodies have been found; they were supposed to have been cremated but were not.

"I have never in my lifetime experienced anything as horrific as what I'm seeing in Georgia," Maynard said. "The level of professionalism of funeral directors of the Shenango Valley, Mercer County and the greater Youngstown area are such that I have no doubt that would never happen here."