Elk Funeral & Cremation Service

11/28/2025

Fun Thanksgiving Fact Friday??

Did you know the first Turkey Trot was in the 1890s?

Buffalo, New York, was the first city to host a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning in 1896. Only six runners participated in the race that year, running on stretches of dirt road for roughly five miles. President Lincoln set the November date to coincide with the Pilgrims' landing on Plymouth Rock.

Did you know Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird?

He wrote in a letter to his daughter, "For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country...For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird."

Did you know the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade featured Central Park Zoo animals?

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was originally called the "Macy's Christmas Parade" to kick off the holiday shopping season. Held in 1924, the first parade included monkeys, bears, camels, and elephants borrowed from the Central Park Zoo instead of the traditional character balloons we know today.

Did you know Snoopy has made the most appearances in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?

Forty-four years after the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Snoopy made his debut as a balloon in 1968. Throughout the years, the beagle has been represented by a total of seven balloons, making 39 appearances "on and off through 2015" before he was replaced by Charlie Brown in 2016. He returned as an astronaut for the 2019 parade, bringing his balloon total to eight.

Did you know the majority of Americans secretly don't like traditional Thanksgiving dishes, but they still eat them anyway?

A whopping 68 percent of Americans dislike Thanksgiving dishes like canned cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and even turkey itself, according to a 2019 Instacart survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults conducted online by the Harris Poll—but they'll still eat them in honor of tradition. Times are changing, however: Thirty percent of Thanksgiving dinner hosts have served something other than turkey as their main course (pork is the second most popular option).

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at Elk. Enjoy the food, family, friends, and togetherness. Tell someone you're thankful for them, and don't forget to take a picture!

We hope everyone gets a happy, warm, and safe Thanksgiving. And stay safe on the drive back home if you make one!

11/18/2025

Hey everyone!
We wanted to give you a peek into something we have been thinking about.

With as much as we loved doing the coat drive last year, we just do not feel like enough people reached out to TAKE all the donations we were so graciously given.

So this year, we have a little bit of a different plan.

We wanted to share some information about a local women's clothing closet for those in need called Mary's Closet, owned by Carl and Phil Crowder at 2188 Greenbrier St, Charleston, West Virginia. Information about the hours and days open for the closet can be found on Carl Crowder's page weekly.

In addition to this, we will be taking donations to the Herbert Hoover Clothing Closet of new socks and gently used gloves, coats/jackets, and toboggans/beanies.

For any of the above items in sizes for kids k-5 we will take them to Pinch Elementary.

We chose these places because they are the schools that our apprentice went to!

11/18/2025

George Walter Belcher Jr., 87, of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, passed away on September 6, 2025. George was born on October 1, 1937, to the late Ethel Francis Burger and George Walter Belcher Sr. in Charleston, West Virginia.

George served in the United States Marine Corps and was a barber in Charleston, West Virginia.

Per his wishes, George was cremated and will be inurned in the Donnel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery.

Elk Funeral & Cremation Service is honored to be assisting George's family at this time.

View George Belcher Jr.'s obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

11/14/2025

Fun Funeral Fact Friday!!

Here are some facts you may not have known about caskets!

Did you know caskets used to be more shaped like a person and positioned upright? While today they are more rectangular in shape because in the 19th century, it was considered more elegant.
Did you know caskets used to be reserved for the wealthy and elite until the 19th century, when mass production made them more accessible?
Did you know that today, caskets have so many options for what you can do with them? From picking your material (wood vs metal vs fiberglass), picking your interior lining, and even customizations (such as wraps with photos or themes, custom paint, engravings, or adding keepsake drawers).

11/11/2025

Happy Veterans Day from all of us here at Elk. No matter what branch or where you served, your service has helped keep us free.

Thank you to all veterans; you have made many sacrifices through the years to keep your friends, families, and even strangers safe and free. We appreciate everything you have sacrificed for our country!

11/07/2025

Fun Funeral Fact Friday!!

Have you heard of the burial mounds?
(living in WV, we’re sure you have, but here’s a refresher!)

Burial mounds are artificial hills of earth and stone built over the remains of the dead.
Burial mounds were a characteristic of Native American culture in East-Central North America around 1,000 BCE to 700 BCE. The most numerous mounds are found in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys. These are typically large, conical or elliptical, and surrounded by creative earthworks.
It was believed that the ones who built the mounds were a distinctive group of people who were more culturally advanced than historic Native American tribes. Some later mounds are called effigy mounds and were built into the shapes of animals and other objects.

11/06/2025

Pamela Sue Shaffer, 67, of Charleston, West Virginia, passed away on November 2, 2025. Pamela was born on January 22, 1958, in Wellston, Ohio, to the late Harry Edward and Clara Faye Shaffer.

Pamela is also preceded in death by her sister Barbara Shaffer and her great-grandson Phaelen Martin.

She is survived by her daughters, Natusha Medley and Natalie Terry, both of Charleston, West Virginia; brother, Gary Shaffer of Culloden, West Virginia; grandchildren, Nasyia Shaffer-Tatum, Na’Jah Shaffer-Tatum, Narassa Medley, and Javier Jaxson Chic; and great-grandchildren Em’Marie Martin, O’Mariah Martin, and Nai’Lani Staples.

Per Pamela’s wishes, she was cremated, and no services are planned at this time.

Elk Funeral & Cremation Service is honored to be assisting Pamela’s family at this time.

View Pamela Shaffer's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween and Fun Funeral Fact Friday!!

This week, we decided to give you a treat rather than a trick and give you some fun facts about Halloween!

Did you know there is an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain, which is believed to be the precursor to Halloween?
They believed the veil between the living and the dead was the thinnest at this time and allowed for the spirits of ancestors to visit the mortal world. The festival of Samhain was about honoring the deceased and was basically a large annual memorial or funerary event.

Keeping with Celtic traditions, did you know that Carving Jack-O-Lanterns was a Celtic practice?
This began with carving turnips and placing lights inside them to guide the spirits back to their homes during the night of Samhain.

Lastly, for Samhain traditions, the "Dumb Supper"
This was a Celtic tradition of preparing a meal and eating it in complete silence. They would have an extra place at the table set for the spirits of their ancestors and loved ones to join them.

Did you know wearing costumes on Halloween was originally for protection?
It was believed that people would put on costumes and masks to disguise themselves as malevolent spirits to avoid being recognized and even harmed by any potentially harmful spirits who had crossed over from the spirit world during this time.

Did you know the American tradition of trick-or-treating stems from the British tradition of "souling"?
This was when the poor citizens would go door-to-door asking for "soul cakes" in return for promising to pray for the family's dead relatives; these prayers were believed to help any souls in purgatory ascend more quickly.

Did you know that in Medieval art and literature, skeletons were used as a reminder of mortality?
Now, just a common Halloween decoration, Skeletons used to be a visual and oral motif known as memento mori or "remember, you must die," a reminder of the transience of life and the inevitability of death.

Have a safe and happy Halloween, and for those who will be out during trick or treat, please stay safe, warm, and as dry as possible!

10/29/2025

Thank you to everyone who came by and saw us and got candy! We had so much fun even though we had to move the trunk or treat inside because of the rain! We hope to see everyone and more next year!!

10/27/2025

As you know, here at Elk, we love to learn about and celebrate other cultures. Today, we wanted to highlight the first day of Día de los Mu***os (Day of the Dead), which is when the spirits of pets who have passed on come back to visit homes.

In Mexico, they will set up an ofrenda (typically with a picture of them and their favorite treat and/or toys) and talk about their pets by name, sharing memories, and making sure they are remembered.

This celebration of the pet(s) takes place the evening/night of October 27, and the spirits of the pet(s) are believed to visit their homes in the very early hours of October 28.

Let's take a moment to remember our pets who have passed away, and if you would like, feel free to share photos of your pets who have crossed the rainbow bridge and their name (and maybe your favorite memory if you're feeling up to it) so we can all celebrate and remember them. 🩷💜

If you would like more information on this for the other traditions and days recognized, please feel free to visit this website! https://latinarepublic.com/2022/10/26/dia-de-los-muertos/

10/24/2025

Hey guys! At our other location we are competing in the city’s scarecrow decoration contest and we would love it if you would go and vote for our scarecrow following the directions on our original post!