Frequent Questions

A funeral or memorial service provides an opportunity for the living to show respect for the deceased and pay tribute to their life. It provides a framework to freely and openly express our beliefs, feelings, and thoughts about the death of our loved one. It gives us permission to grieve our loss, share in solidarity, and gain strength from others who are experiencing the same loss.

The four main types of funeral services include the traditional funeral service, the memorial service, the committal service, and the affirmation or celebration of life service.

Yes, cremation or burial is merely the disposition of the body. Funeral services are to honor and remember your loved one, regardless of disposition.

Pre-arranging funeral services can be done regardless of the final disposition. Pre-arranging is simply recording your wishes with the funeral home and prefunding if you choose to do so.

• Advance Directives - If the deceased left any written advance directives concerning the disposition of his remains and memorialization, you need to bring them with you. These instructions may be found in a will, or there may be a formally witnessed disposition directive, funeral pre-arrangements, or a pre-need contract.
• Military Discharge Papers
• Details on any cemetery property owned by the deceased or the family (grave plot, columbarium space, etc.)
• Recent photograph of the deceased and any personal effects that you wish to be included in the viewing or burial
• Specific information on the deceased:
• Full legal name
• Address
• Marital status
• Social Security number
• Date of birth
• Place of birth (city and state)
• Educational history (number of years of schooling)
• Armed Forces service dates and serial number
• Occupation or profession
• Parent's names, including mother's maiden name
• Next of kin and other survivors

The funeral director's job is to assist the bereaved in various ways to help them through the loss of a loved one. A funeral director provides bereavement and consolation services for the living, in addition to making arrangements for the cremation, burial, and memorial services for the deceased. He fulfills the role of funeral arranger, funeral director, funeral attendant, and embalmer.

The following list is not all-inclusive, but describes some of the major tasks of a funeral director:

Removal and transfer of the deceased from the place of death to the funeral home

Professional care of the deceased, including embalming, casketing, and cosmetology

Consulting with family to make arrangements for the funeral service

Filing certificates, permits, and other required forms

Obtaining copies of the death certificate

Arrangements with the cemetery, crematory, or other places of final disposition

Creates and publishes the obituary

Arrangements for clergy, music, flowers, transportation, pallbearers, and special fraternal or military services

Directs and manages the funeral service and the funeral procession

Assists the family with death-related claims, including Social Security, VA insurance, grief counseling

A traditional funeral involves a number of services which add to the total cost. Besides a non-declinable basic services fee, other charges may include removal/transfer of the body to the funeral home; embalming; other preparation of the body; use of facilities and staff for viewing; use of facilities and staff for the funeral ceremony; use of a hearse, service car, or van; a basic memorial printed package; metal casket, a vault or grave liner, and purchase of a cemetery plot.

Planning a funeral in advance empowers individuals to make personalized arrangements for their eventual memorial service, ensuring that their preferences are honored. Additionally, pre-planning offers the option to prepay for the funeral, relieving the financial burden from the deceased person's family when the time comes.

Prepaying for a funeral enables an individual to finance their chosen personalized funeral arrangements in advance of their passing.

Pre-planning ensures that all of your final wishes will be fulfilled. Because death is a difficult subject to discuss, oftentimes your true wishes may not be known or fully understood by your family.

Pre-paying can eliminate the financial burden that a funeral might pose on your survivors, and by pre-planning, your funeral will cost less now than it would in the future.

Pre-planning provides you and your family with peace of mind in knowing that everything has been “taken care of” in the manner you specified.

Certainly, many individuals opt to have their final arrangements decided in advance, including the type of ceremony and casket, without necessarily prepaying for these items. The key priority is documenting these preferences in writing to prevent any ambiguity regarding their intentions upon their passing.

In certain scenarios, it's advisable that if a life insurance policy is in place, there may be no immediate need for prepayment. The person can choose to invest their funds independently to potentially generate greater returns.

While most people pay for their funeral in one lump sum, you can also set up a payment plan that is convenient for you.

By prepaying for your arrangements, you can secure coverage for most of the funeral service costs and merchandise when the time comes. Once your funeral service charges and merchandise have been fully paid, we provide a written guarantee that your family or estate won't be burdened with any additional expenses for those items.

Moreover, the choice to prepay for other associated costs, like clergy honorarium, cemetery fees, and newspaper charges, is also available. You may opt to allocate funds to be used for these expenses when they are incurred.

A "Guaranteed Contract" is a formal agreement in which the funeral home assures to provide the selected services and/or merchandise at the specified price mentioned in the contract. This implies that your family or estate won't be required to cover any additional expenses for the guaranteed items, with the exception of cash advances and unforeseen charges like the need to transport remains from a location beyond 50 miles.

On the other hand, if a contract doesn't guarantee the prices, it must be explicitly labeled as a "Non-Guaranteed Contract." In such cases, the final cost will be determined when the services and/or merchandise are actually needed. Any prepayment made in advance will accrue interest and function as a deposit to be applied towards the ultimate cost when the need arises, also accumulating interest.

If you have no prior experience working with a funeral home, it's advisable to schedule meetings with personnel from several different funeral homes before making your final decision. In our area, all funeral homes provide some form of pre-planning program, and they typically offer competitive pricing. While cost is a significant factor, it shouldn't be the sole consideration. It's equally essential to assess other aspects such as the quality of their facilities, the professionalism of their staff, and their commitment to meeting your individual requirements and providing a service that aligns with your preferences.

You may call us to set-up an appointment or stop by to begin the process.  We will be happy to answer any questions you might have.