Jellison Funeral Home

09/03/2025

Have fun playing golf all while supporting your local fire department! We are so grateful for what these folks do every day, we hope you will put in a team and help make this a successful event for Peterborough Fire & Rescue!!

07/04/2025

On July 4, 1776, a bold declaration changed the course of history. The United States declared its independence from British rule, and the ideals of freedom, democracy, and self-governance were born in a new nation.

The Fourth of July is more than fireworks and barbecues - it’s a day to reflect on the courage, vision, and unity of those who dared to imagine a better future. It’s a time to honor the men and women who have fought to protect those freedoms, and a chance to recommit ourselves to the values of liberty, justice, and equality for all.

Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸

05/26/2025

‘They say, We leave you our deaths. Give them their meaning.’ —Archibald MacLeish

Remembering the fallen this Memorial Day, we can consider our own duty to strive so that our lives and our country are worthy of the price they paid.

04/04/2025

Join the Scott Farrar team for their Walk to End Alzheimer's fundraising event sponsored by Scott-Farrar at Peterborough, on Saturday, May 10th, from 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. !!

03/11/2025

Today is International Funeral Directors Day!

We pause to recognize and celebrate the compassionate professionals who dedicate their lives to serving others during some of their most challenging moments. They bring comfort to grieving families, ensuring that each farewell reflects the love, respect, and uniqueness of a well-lived life. Their work often goes unseen, yet it profoundly impacts the lives of countless people.

We would like to highlight our dedicated staff, as well as our colleagues across the world. Thank you for your compassion, dignity, and grace. You help to create a space, where memories are honored, and where communities come together to support one another.

03/06/2025

Throughout history, women have played pivotal roles in death care practices, laying the foundation for many contemporary funeral traditions. Their contributions span various cultures and eras, reflecting both societal norms and the intrinsic value of their roles in honoring the deceased.

Ancient Egypt

In ancient Egypt, women were integral to funerary customs, often serving as professional mourners. These women would make ostentatious displays of grief, including tearing their hair, loud wailing, and beating their chests, to honor the deceased. Notably, two women would impersonate the goddesses Isis and Nephthys during funerary rituals, standing at either end of the co**se to symbolize divine protection and guidance for the departed soul.

Ancient Greece

In ancient Greece, women were primarily responsible for funeral rites, which consisted of three main parts: the prothesis (laying out of the body), the ekphora (funeral procession), and the deposition of the remains. During the prothesis, women prepared the body by washing, anointing, and dressing it, then laid it out for viewing. They also led the laments, expressing communal grief through ritualistic wailing and mourning songs. The ekphora involved women leading the procession to the burial site, underscoring their central role in guiding the deceased to their final resting place.

Ancient Rome

Roman women, especially those from patrician families, were custodians of their household’s death rituals. They prepared the body for burial by washing, anointing, and dressing it in burial clothes, then placed it on a funerary couch. Women also organized funerary banquets, known as silicernium, to honor the deceased and provide an opportunity for the family to gather and commemorate their loved one.

19th and Early 20th Century United States

Before the professionalization of the funeral industry, women in the United States often acted as “shrouders” or “layers-out of the dead,” preparing bodies for burial within their communities. However, as embalming became more common during and after the Civil War, men began to dominate the emerging funeral industry. Despite this shift, women like Linda Odou and Lena Simmons made significant strides by founding embalming schools in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, paving the way for future generations of female funeral directors.

Modern Era

In recent decades, there’s been a notable resurgence of women in the funeral industry. As of 2017, approximately 60% of mortuary science students in the United States were women, signaling a shift towards gender balance in the profession. This return to prominence reflects a full-circle journey, acknowledging women’s historical roles in death care and their continued contributions to compassionate and personalized funeral services.

The enduring involvement of women in death care across cultures and eras highlights their essential role in shaping the rituals and practices that honor and remember the deceased. Their contributions have provided a foundation of empathy, respect, and innovation in funeral traditions that continue to evolve today.

02/04/2025

https://www.facebook.com/NHTEARS

This is an amazing resource for those who have experienced pregnancy/infant loss.

The TEARS Foundation seeks to compassionately lift a financial burden from families who have lost a child by providing funds to assist with the cost of burial or cremation services. We believe that every child’s life deserves to be honored.

12/31/2024

As 2024 draws to a close, not only do we want to extend our wishes for peace and joy for each one of you into 2025, but we also have big news from Jellison Funeral Home!

From our team:

Julie:
I’m not selling the business. I love my work way too much to stop now! The actual big news is shared below. In all seriousness, it seems there have been some ideas circulating that Jellison is being sold. It is not. We have, however, brought on a new full-time funeral director (again see below) to help with day-to-day (and night-to-night) activities. I’m so excited to welcome Jim as our newest full-time team member! I will be right here, where I believe I am meant to be, and I am honored and humbled to be.

Jim and Nicole:
The big news: Welcome James Vincent “Vinny” Acciardo! As many of you know, Nicole has been with Jellison part-time for a few years now. As of last October, she accepted a full-time job at FINE Mortuary College, where we all attended mortuary school. In October of this year, Jim accepted a full-time position with Jellison. They welcomed their new baby, Vinny, on Christmas Eve! We are excited to have a little one in the Jellison family!

Alexa:
By the end of 2025, Alexa will have completed her education at FINE, will have completed her 2000-hour apprenticeship, and will have completed her minimum requirement for services to take her exams to become a New Hampshire Licensed Funeral Director!! We are very proud of Alexa and how well she is doing in her studies. She will continue her role as a part time staff at JFH, so you will continue to see her around!

General thoughts:
Our job is hard. The acknowledgment and validation that we continuously receive around this concept is incredible. We often have folks who will reach out and tell us they are thinking of us during difficult times because our job is hard. This is true, but our job is also incredibly rewarding. We are in awe of the families and community that, in the throes of their grief, take the time, energy, and love to thank us and appreciate us. It’s astonishing! This is what keeps us going and we appreciate this community so much!

With regards to the future of Jellison Funeral Home, there are no plans for anything to change, in the near future. Eventually, when we are ready for a transition (I have to retire someday!!) it is my hope that Jim and Nicole will be the next owners. I am committed to keeping Jellison family-owned well into the future. Having said that, if there is one thing I have learned in my work, it’s my go-to expression, “we’re not in charge”. So while this is the plan that we endeavor to accomplish, if there are different plans in store for us, well….. “we’re not in charge”.

May you all find joy in 2025, either making memories with your family or cherishing the memories of those who have already left us.

With love and appreciation,
Julie, Jim, Nicole and Alexa

12/25/2024

11/28/2024

We here at Jellison Funeral Home would like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving. We are grateful for the incredible communities we reside in and serve.

11/20/2024

This group always put together a well-run and informative event. And... we will be there! Hope to see some familiar faces!

Join me and other local deathcare professionals (Mel Bennett from Life Forest, Anne Marie from Terrapin Glass Memorials, plus funeral directors and hospice nurses) on Thursday, 12/12 for Death Over Cocktails! 👈 click the event link for more details!

There is no charge to attend! Cash bar available. Email: info@leavingwellnh.com for questions or to RSVP.

11/11/2024

On the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, in 1918, an armistice was determined for World War One.

Veteran's Day has been a national holiday since 1938 and continues to be a day of dedication to those who have served in our United States Armed Forces. Thank you to all of our dedicated service members, and those service members who we have lost.