White Dove

Memorial

and classical music

by the Arnold Family

Johann and Rachel Arnold with their six children offer a blend of piano, organ, accordion, violins, harp, timpani, guitar and voice. Combining some of the most loved folk songs from Welsh, Irish and American tradition with classical music by composers like Mozart, Bach and Massenet, the Arnold Family offers music geared to a wide audience. They have performed in a variety of locations including churches, assisted living communities, hospitals, music festivals, and white dove memorials.

The white dove is universally recognized as a symbol of love, peace, and hope. Honor your loved one at funerals and memorials with the release of pure white doves. Traditionally the doves are released as the final part of the service.

We are having to adapt and make changes due to COVID-19 in our White Dove Memorial releases. Most States only allow immediate family members at the burial, while still practicing social distancing. We are no longer able to offer Grave side releases. However we can offer short videos of a White Dove Memorial release. The video would be of an actual dove release in honor of the loved one, with our family providing the sound track and performing the release. As the videos would be personalized and unique it would take 2-3 days to shoot and prepare. These releases can reflect the ideas and feelings of the family and friends.

Classical and folk music is offered by the Arnold Family. The Arnold Family have a unique repertoire of pieces and songs reflective of years spent in Europe and the mountains of Appalachia.

Choosing the perfect music to remember a loved one can be challenging – but the right piece can bring peace and comfort at a time when it is needed most. We can offer some of the most-loved classical pieces such as:

Meditations (Jules Massenet) Piano and Violin or Harp

Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod) Violin and Harp or (Schubert) Piano and Violin

Ashokan Farewell (Jay Ungar) Violin and Harp

Watching the Wheat (John Thomas) Harp

À Chloris (Reynaldo Hahn) Harp and English Horn

America the Beautiful (Katharine Lee Bates / Samuel A. Ward) Piano/Keyboard, Violin, Harp

One can’t help but feel uplifted by the genuine care and joy of the Arnold Family.

Monique Mead
Musician, Innovator, Educator Carnegie Mellon University

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We have a large repertoire of songs and music so feel free to make requests.

One of the violin’s the Arnold family uses is crafted after the famous Guarneri model del Gesù (literally "of Jesus") It was a labor of love to make. May it continue to bring peace and healing.

Phillip Injeian
Master Violin Maker

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How are the doves trained to fly home?
We begin handling the doves at just a few weeks of age. The training starts at twelve weeks. The young bird needs to learn the outside surroundings of the loft and how to enter the loft prior to building up to longer flights.

We limit the releases to within approximately a 30 mile radius of their home. However we have raced some of our birds 300 miles and all the doves returned home safely.

We fly and release only healthy, trained and banded white homing pigeons. Our White Lightning’s are from the Fabry family of pigeons originated by Georges and Victor Fabry of Liege, Belgium.

We will release seven or more doves at a time. The number seven is revered in religions throughout the world. We have found that larger flocks of birds exhibit better homing instincts because they can gather a larger pool of information and thus have the potential to make better decisions.

Note: The doves cannot be released during stormy weather, rain, fog, and extreme heat. The doves need enough time to safely arrive home before dark. We suggest the latest release to be no less than two hours before sunset. The doves cannot be released indoors.

Price: We usually request a donation (suggestion: $150–250) to help cover costs but have sponsorship available for families or individuals not able to contribute.

It is said that God places people in your life to help you. We do not always see those people. So sometimes, God puts a flashing sign along the roadside sign to help us find them. The sign that invited me to share a meal lead me to the Bruderhof community. There I met an enthusiastic and welcoming community eager to open their hearts to me. Through this simple encounter I met Franzhart and Veronica Arnold affectionately known as Opa and Oma. I looked forward to our Saturday morning talks about their life experiences at Opa and Oma's coffee shop while feasting on the homemade cookies and jams. Also, Opa's homegrown vegetables were thoroughly enjoyed by my family. Our talks became even more meaningful when Opa's health began to decline. The news of Opa's passing was met with great sadness. I was deeply honored when the Arnold Family invited me and my brother to attended Opa's burial service. During this saddest time I was lovingly embraced by the entire Arnold Family and the whole community. The service was one the most beautiful and respectful experiences of my life. At the conclusion of the service, white doves were released by a Opa's grandson. Oma held one dove in her hand and released it to the heavens. The other doves flew up and through the trees at the cemetery while a beam of sunlight covered the freshly laid flowers placed on Opa's grave. To me, it seemed like the doves were guiding Opa's soul upward on the beam of sunlight to meet God. Watching the doves guide Opa's soul to heaven, strengthened my faith. I can honestly say that I will never forget the day of Opa's service. This experience has helped me see God's plan for me a little better. Thank you to Opa and Oma and the entire Arnold Family for inviting me into your lives and for this wonderful experience and to receive a personal sign of God's love and presence in the world.”
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John Weitzel

This is the range of our doves: