Pre-Arrangement
Our desire is to help alleviate decisions at the time of death
Although making a pre-arrangement is important, yet even more important is the need to share with immediate family the choices you have made and discussing their needs as well. Many times a spouse or children have been surprised by the decisions someone has made concerning their funeral arrangements. Talking about the event allows the exchange of desires as you consider what is right for your family.
Vital Statistics
This would include any or all of the following:
Name and name at birth
Cemetery Location: Name, City
Date and place of birth
Social Security Number
Education
Marital Status, maiden name if female
Occupation
Current address
Ancestry (Polish, French, German, Irish)
Veteran
Informant and address
Number of certified copies of death certificate
Obituary Information
Information for the obituary would include parent’s names, occupation (whether currently employed or retired), military history if a veteran, survivors, family members that have preceded in death, involvement in Fraternal or Service Organizations, special interests of the deceased, church membership, and contributions to a charitable organization for those who choose to do so instead of sending flowers, and visitation and service information.
Selecting Services
Today personalization has become an important aspect of any funeral service. Personalization may include someone “special” to read a poem, to sing, to deliver a eulogy, or a time where family and friends share their memories of the deceased. Other options for personalization include displaying a person’s craft work such as quilting, needlepoint, woodworking, hobbies, photo boards, memory boards, or unique collections.
Selecting Merchandise
Cash Advance Items
When paying for a funeral in advance, many funeral homes do not include Cash Advance Items in the cost of the services. However, we include these items in the total cost of services for you. We believe it is only fair to those making the pre-arrangements and for the family at time of need to know there are costs from other sources besides the funeral home. These include, but are not limited to:
Items we pay on your behalf
– Grave opening and closing
– Tent and vault equipment at cemetery
– Honorariums*
– Obituaries**
– Date cutting for marker***
* Honorariums – Although Clergy do not set or request a fee for conducting a service, it is typical that the family gives the person conducting the service an honorarium, i.e. a gift of money for doing so.
**Obituaries – Today most daily and weekly newspapers have some type of cost associated with placing an obituary in the newspaper. Costs range from a small set fee to hundreds of dollars, with the cost based solely on the length of the obituary.
***Date cutting for marker – When a family has purchased a marker for the cemetery prior to their death, the cost of the date of death typically is not included in the marker purchase. We can recommend and make arrangements for this to be handled.
