Normally, in this country, once you die, your body is removed to a funeral home. I covered some considerations regarding “which” funeral home in my previous blog. If you are to be buried in a different city from the one in which you live, you may need the services of two funeral homes: one for where you live, and one to handle the arrangements for the burial. Costs do not double, but are higher for such an arrangement.

There will be costs for transporting the body, embalming, the casket, and the burial plot. Many jurisdictions also require a vault. The vault is a large, normally concrete, box that is lowered into the ground first. The casket is then lowered into the vault and sealed with a concrete cover. The vault is there to preserve the integrity of the grave site. If you walk through old cemeteries, you may notice that some graves will be marked by sunken depressions in the earth. This means the casket has deteriorated and come apart. The vault keeps that from happening (and keeps embalming chemicals and other effluence from getting into the soil and ground water). If you opt for a cremation, you may avoid these charges, but a lot of that has to do with whether you actually have a funeral.

We will look at funerals in my next blog, but for now, you should remember that funerals are not for the deceased. They are for the living. They provide an opportunity for your community of family and friends to come together, to remember your life, and remember their lives with you. It offers a time of closure and support for the family.

You can save your family some discomfort by making arrangements for your funeral before you die. You can pick the casket, select the burial plot, and decide how much of a service you want to have. You may also pre-pay for all this. The advantage of pre-payment is that you avoid price increases over time which can be substantial. Funeral homes will not “bill” the family or the estate. While most funeral homes will come get the deceased and transport the body to their place of business, that’s all the service anyone will get until payment is made. If you have an insurance policy to cover the burial, sometimes they will take that as payment, but there will be papers for the official beneficiary to sign releasing the benefit to the funeral home. Someone will have to pay for the services. If you have a Power of Attorney, remember that it ends with your death. Unless you have actually placed a friend or family member on your checking or savings account, no one will be able to access your funds to pay the funeral home. If you make these arrangements, be sure to write them down and entrust them to the person who is charged with carrying them out. Your family should know who that person is.

For every funeral, there are usually two parts: The “visitation,” for people who are unable to come for the funeral to come by and pay their respects – usually in the evening. Funeral homes charge for the time and usage of their facility for this service. Then, there is the funeral itself. The funeral home will charge for time and use of the facility again. It is not necessary to have the visitation separate. Sometimes the visitation occurs an hour (or more) before the funeral on the same day.

For Church members, sometimes the funeral is held at the church building. This is particularly helpful if you expect a large number of people. On the other hand, if your Church building will seat 500, and you only expect 50 to 100, it’s much better to have the service at the funeral home.

Here’s a checklist:
* Which funeral home(s)?
* Burial or cremation?
* Place of burial?
* What kind of casket (price parameters – or urn for cremated remains)?
* Where will the funeral be held? When?
* Which flower shop will you use?
* Will there be a visitation? When?
* Flowers. Friends and family and your local church will send some. But customarily there is a spray of flowers that goes on top of the casket (but is not required).

(Next time: The Funeral)