Our Services
John Henry Muster
The Muster family has been serving the people of McLean County and the surrounding communities of western Kentucky for more than 155 years. Operating through six generations of service, Muster Funeral Homes is one of the oldest family-operated funeral homes in the Commonwealth of Kentucky as well as the United States. During this time, many families have turned to the small town personal services and homelike atmosphere coupled with innovative ideas and well maintained facilities of Muster Funeral Homes. We are your friends and neighbors who are here to answer your questions, guide you through uncertain times, and offer services that will exceed the standards that people have come to expect at Musters.
John Henry Muster founded Muster Funeral Home in 1855 with the idea of giving comfort and personal service to people during a difficult and uncertain time. Today, with more than six generations, we are proud to carry on this tradition of delivering caring, personal and professional service at affordable prices.
We feel that we are large enough to serve your family, and small enough to care. At Musters, we treat each service as if it were our own family and not as just another business transaction.
Our family offers many services connected with a funeral service. These services include but are not limited to:
- 24 hour availability of staff.
- Services to families of any religious belief with a wide selection of diversified funeral, cremation, and alternative service options.
- Personal, professional, and affordable service.
- Assistance with the coordination of the funeral service from the writing of the obituary to the contacting of ministers, vocalists, pallbearers, and beauticians.
- Our funeral directors are all fully licensed and are experienced in all aspects of funeral service.
- A full time staff of 5 licensed funeral directors and 7 funeral service assistants.
- Full time pre-need counselors for free consultation on pre-planning questions without any obligation to your family.
- The availability of our funeral automotive fleet on every service, including formal limousines, funeral sedans, and funeral coaches.
- Assistance and guidance with the selection of floral arrangements and cemetery monuments.
- Assistance with veteran's benefits.
- Assistance with social security.
- Assistance with the filing of life insurance claims.
- Unique ways of memorializing your loved one.
- A complete line of quality, affordable funeral merchandise including caskets, vaults, urns, and other keepsake items.
- Assistance with the delivery of floral pieces to the home after a service.
- Assistance in selection of cemetery plots at any cemetery.
- Grief resource information and support.
- Yearly communitywide holiday memorial service.
Seven Generations and Counting of Personal Family Service
Different Types of Funeral Services
Over the years, people have become accustomed to handling funeral services in different manners according to their family's' preferences or traditions. At Musters, we feel that each funeral service is an entirely different and personal event. Our service will meet the needs and requests of every family that we serve.
Muster Funeral Homes has a variety of funeral services to meet each family's special needs. They include:
- Traditional funeral services.
- Church funeral services.
- Abbreviated (same day visitation and funeral service)
- Immediate burials.
- Cremation (with or without a funeral or memorial service)
- Unique Personalization to our Funeral Services
- Special organizational services (such as, Masonic, Eastern Star, and Knights of Columbus)
- Special military honor services.
- Alternative (Reception Service, Celebration Service)
- Out of town arrangements.
- Aftercare.
- Pre-Planning.
Our Full Service Traditional Funeral Offering
The most widely selected method of celebrating a life lived is the Muster Family's traditional full service funeral offering. This service is what any other funeral service offerings are being compared to.
This offering includes but is not limited to all professional services of the funeral directors and staff, transfer of remains to funeral home, preparation of remains for a public visitation and funeral service, shelter of remains, one day visitation in funeral home or another facility, funeral service at funeral home or another facility, burial in a local cemetery, and use of our funeral automotive fleet (a limousine for the pallbearers, a limousine for the family, the funeral coach, and a service vehicle to take floral pieces to the cemetery).
Our formal limousines, funeral sedans, funeral coaches, and service vehicles are available to ensure that even the smallest details of every service are taken care of.
Cremation
Cremation is the changing of a traditional ground burial to cremation as the means or method of final disposition of a family member. Cremation does not replace or eliminate the need for a funeral service.
Many people who are today choosing cremation also prefer to have a funeral service and visitation with the human remains present. The cremation process would then be completed after the public service. With our complete cremation options guide the personal choices are unlimited.
If you are considering cremation, we encourage you to talk with one or our directors. Some people believe that their service options are limited; however, the cremation options at Muster Funeral Homes are unlimited.
Personalization to Our Funeral Services
It is important to remember that each and every life lived has unique personality traits, hobbies, and interests. The funeral services of a person should reflect, honor, and pay tribute to these differences. We can help you personalize and celebrate these special traits through many ways that we can customize a service. Personalizing a service can include a photo of the person on the memory folder, a special insert panel for the casket, customized coroners for the casket that reflect hobbies and interests, balloon and dove releases, to special keepsake jewelry and a full motion video tribute which can be part of the actual service. We encourage you to make a list of things that are important to you and let us show you our unique ways that we can pay tribute to these differences. Please feel free to contact us at (270) 273-3124 to discuss our options with personalizing a funeral service.
Thumbies
Thumbies – Fingerprint Keepsakes
The Muster Family is also a proud provider of the Thumbies and Buddies fingerprint keepsakes in our area. Thumbies are uniquely personal keepsakes, meticulously fashioned in precious metals from a fingerprint of your loved one. A fingerprint is taken by Musters and sent off where a three dimensional wax model is made of the actual print. This model is then used to cast your personal Thumbie in either sterling silver or 14k gold. The backside of the Thumbie is then engraved with the name and special date of the occasion. This treasured remembrance is available in many styles from a necklace charm, money clip, pocket knife, tie tac, and ring.
Thumbies are also available for new arrivals to a family. The hand or foot prints of infants from the hospital can also be used to create a keepsake for generations. Please feel free to contact us at (270) 273-3124 for more information on this special keepsake.
Loving Memories Video Tribute
Muster Funeral Homes is an exclusive provider of the Loving Memories Video Tribute by Memories By Design for our area. This tribute is unlike any other tribute from other funeral homes in that it can be personalized to the interests of the person. These tributes contain video clips and movement that seem to bring your family photos to life and are more meaningful than a simple power point production. We offer several special sceneries including: fishing, veterans, homemaker, motorcycling, outdoor / nature, hunting, gardening and the four seasons. This tribute is shown on our state of art drop down video screen during the actual service and the family will have a treasured heirloom for generations to keep on DVD.
We are also able to produce these family video tributes for other occasions than for funeral services. Several families have had customized tributes produced for anniversaries, special birthdays, family holiday celebrations, and graduations. Please feel free to contact us at (270) 273-3124 for more information on how we can help to preserve your special family memories.
Video Tribute Being Shown in Chapel
Out of Town Arrangements
Many have had their families arrangements handled by Musters for generations and have become accustomed to our family's level of service. Today, we are also able to handle any type of arrangements out of town, or when people are away from home. Through our membership in State and National Funeral Professional Associations, we can handle arrangements anywhere in the World.
By simply calling Musters first, you have the assurance that the details will be handled in the utmost professional and caring manner. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help guide you through uncertain times. Please feel free to contact us at (270) 273-3124 for any assistance that our family may offer you. The most important thing to remember is that you are as close to requesting the services of the Muster Family as you are to the nearest telephone.
Annual Holiday Hope Memorial Service
Muster's Holiday Hope Memorial Service
In remembrance of each family and to offer support during the upcoming holiday season, Muster Funeral Homes sponsors a community wide Holiday Hope Memorial Service on the first Sunday in December. The service is hosted by the Calhoun Baptist Church. Everyone is invited to attend regardless of when their loss was or if their family was served by another funeral home.
During the service, each person in attendance is given a piece of holly in memory of their loved one. Each family then places their pieces of holly in one of two wreaths. The wreaths are then kept at each chapel through the holiday seasons in remembrance of each family.
A memorial wreath decorated during the Annual Holiday Memorial Service. One is displayed at each funeral home through the holiday season.
Guardian Angel Ornament
The Muster Family makes a contribution in memory of each family that is included in the service to the local food pantry. If you would like to make an additional donation of non-perishable food items or monetary contributions please feel free to contact us at (270) 273-3124.
As our yearly tradition, the Muster Family will present each family in attendance with a Guardian Angel Christmas Ornament in memory of their loved one. These special ornaments are hand blown, tipped with gold and personalized for your family. We also keep a supply of these Guardian Angel Ornaments on hand so that people can order their own for a lasting memorial gift at anytime throughout the year. Please feel free to contact us at (270) 273-3124 for more information.