As of Wednesday, June 12, the Freed-Givnish Life Celebration Home officially opened for business at 124 N Easton Road in Glenside.
Co-owners John Freed and John Givnish were handed their Certificate of Occupancy from Abington Township following a months-long series of renovations to the property’s exterior and interior.
Photos of vintage Glenside memories now line the walls. Exposed hardwood floors, two working fireplaces, and two cafes complement a new color scheme and plenty of natural light, each of which give the interior a brighter aesthetic than it once had.
“The only thing that’s the same is the address. From top to bottom, it’s brand new,” Givnish said. “We installed large windows in the building to create an open-air environment. It’s been modernized from the HVAC system to the sound system.”
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The Freed-Givnish philosophy is built on generational expertise: Mr. Givnish is a third-generation funeral director, and his son, John, is fourth-generation. The business is four years away from its 100th birthday.
“We’re just happy to be here. We’ve had roots for a long time in the Glenside community. We service close to 200 funerals a month, across all 14 locations in Bucks County, Northeast Philadelphia, and eastern Montgomery County.”
The Freed-Givnish Life Celebration Home invites guests to a collaborative experience.
“We believe in transformational experiences with the family. We want to customize the service with the family that reflects the person being celebrated,” Givnish II said. “We try to give families that license and that space to put something together. It’s a partnership.”
“We listen to all of the little cues that come from the family. We have that ability with our production company. No other funeral home can do what we do,” Givnish said. “Each one’s personalized. Every service is unique. It’s part and parcel of our brand. Everyone gets treated the same.”
To the Givnish family, “Life Celebration” is more than a name. It’s an upbeat philosophy for end-of-life services.
“We don’t call it a funeral home. If you’ve had a loss in your family, we’re not here to mourn. We’re here to celebrate. It’s uplifting and it’s done with dignity,” Givnish II said. “We have a federal trademark on ‘Life Celebration’. It took us seven years to get that.”
“You’re not arranging a funeral. You’re creating a memory and celebrating the days that someone lived. We just help facilitate that,” Givnish said.
Among other uniquities, the home offers cremation services at their facility in Bucks County.
“No one in this area has their own crematorium,” Givnish said.
“When you choose Freed-Givnish, you get something you didn’t even know you wanted,” Bob Wustner, a Glenside native and Funeral Director in Residence, said. “We’re able to add the minute details as opposed to a standard traditional service. It gets families more involved. They’re planning and coordinating. They don’t even know they want it until they see and experience it.”
For more on the Freed-Givnish Life Celebration Home, you can visit their website.
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Photos: Freed-Givnish Life Celebration Home