Our Final Journey
Section 18 - Funeral Planning
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Section 18 - Funeral Planning
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Section 18
Funeral Planning
Checklists, Planners, Etiquette, Memorials,  Products, Books
Helpful Forms-Checklists
 
From Beyond Indigo, Preplanning for your funeral makes sense and protects your loved ones. Click on topic to read following:  Planning ahead preplanning guide, pre-need, ethical wills , estate planning

Funeral Planning Checklist
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Forethought.com guides you through the funeral planning process and provides the knowledge you need to make informed choices. Find a funeral home; complete a funeral plan online; learn about average funeral costs for burial or cremation; find answers to common questions about preplanning and paying for a funeral; and consult resources for links and information about wills and estate planning, grief support, children and funerals, and government death benefits.
 
From FamilyCare America Home - Planning a funeral is a complicated process, which is made even more difficult by the emotional stress that accompanies the death of a loved one. Fortunately, many of the arrangements can be made ahead of time, which will decrease the burden on those left behind.  Use the checklist below when discussing funeral plans with your loved one, to make sure that his or her final wishes are carried out. Thischecklist covers pre-planning,preparations, funeral home services, participants.cemetery selections and what final arrangements can not be arrangedbeforehand. Free-print out checklist, click above.
 
From FamilyCare America site a form you can print out to record all of the funeral plans you have made, including memorial, donations, and information to consider when preparing an obtituary.
 
From the FamilyCare America site a free form to print out to record important personal information for use in planning a funeral, informing friends and relatives, and writing an obituaray for you.
 
Etiquette & Planning
 
Customs for expressing sympathy vary according to religious and ethnic customs. The following information is offered merely as a guideline for what is generally accepted in various circumstances during a funeral.
This guide will let you know what to say or do at a funeral where the culture, customs and religious beliefs are unfamiliar to you, enabling you to provide comfort and support to the mourner in accordance with their beliefs.
There is no hard and fast rule about flower or plant selection for a funeral. Flowers are generally accepted as an appropriate way to comfort the grieving family. Take some care in your flower selection to keep in mind the ultimate purpose of the gift -- that is, to comfort the loved ones and to honor the memory of the deceased.
 
These small touches of memory allow beloved family members to remain at the side of the grieving relative and become a convenient source of comfort and familiarity for a loved one in search of a spiritual connection. If you have a home computer you can make memorial cards to suit your taste. There are also examples on the Internet.
 
If you have been asked to write an obituary, or give a eulogy, click on those links to on how to get started or have one professionally written for you:
 
 
Writing Thank You Cards
from Beyond Indigo-click on topic to go to article:
Useful forms:
These links connect you to some forms you may find useful in time of need or if you are in a planning stage. Each form includes a link to a printable version to better assist you in keeping track of your plans.
 
Sympathy Card Tracking Form                         
Memorial Tracking Form                                   
 
How to Write A Eulogy
From the Funerals With Love website, a detailed plan on writing a eulogy for a loved one.
 
5 Essential Tips for Writing a Eulogy Shelia Martin gives us additional thought on how to make an effective eulogy

Eulogies That Honor and Heal Garry Schaeffer shares steps to writing that special eulogy.

Commitment | Saying Goodbye to Loved Ones Obiturary Form
Write Your Own Obituary Let your life story inspire others! When we love and work, care and try, struggle and triumph, we create a legacy that lives on... Don't let your life story be forgotten!

Other Resources
 

Click here for information on: Funerals

Click here for information on: Cremations

 
If you are planning a funeral for a veteran, need to locate a veteran's grave, or need to locate military records related to a death, don't miss this site provided by the United States government. It has extensive information related to burial benefits and other military funeral issues. Links you to a wide range of death-related services for U.S.veterans.
 
Veterans - Additional information for families of veterans.
 
Most of us are unprepared before making these purchases. We don't know what we
need to know because we make funeral arrangements so infrequently. The emotions surrounding having to make these arrange-ments when a loved one has died, or when
we prearrange our own funeral, may cloud our judgment. It's never easy to think about funeral and burial arrangements, but finding out about them in advance is easier than coping with them at a time of need.
What You Should Know  
 
Preneed Funeral and Burial Agreements
Some individuals preplan for their own funerals and burials by comparing prices, discussing plans or leaving instructions with family, or making decisions about funeral
and burial goods and services that do not require payment in advance. Some individuals may also preplan by setting aside money in a bank account for the future purchase
of funeral and burial goods and services by the appropriate survivor.

Practical Matters  - In addition to the pain and grief of losing a loved one, many practical matters must be taken care of for the future. From finances to legal issues, this section provides guidance and information to assist with your decisions.

Remembering and Celebrating  - Creating New Traditions, Ways to Remember

Products

This Kit is your guide to planning simpler, more practical funeral services. Our book includes many useful tips and facts regarding funeral services, products, as well as special concerns when planning a funeral. The kit also includes the My Final Wishes form that will let you indicate your final wishes to your loved ones. These Final Wishes can be electronically filed on their web site ( www.simplertimes.org ) for safe keeping. Electronic filing of your will also allow Simpler Times to send your wishes to the funeral home that is performing the service. So what does this mean to you? Peace of Mind. The kit includes many useful tools to help you and your loved ones save hundreds, even thousands of dollars when choosing a funeral service. $29.95   Simpler Times Arrangement Kit

Click here to learn more about the Arrangement Kit

NOLO.Law Resources
 
Individual legal forms complete with legal help and step-by-step instructions. Fill out WebForms online before downloading them to your word processor to print.  These two forms have a small cost associated.
 
 
 
Tips on shopping for funeral goods and services.  If you are interested in setting aside a fund of money to pay for your final arrangements, a more prudent approach may be to contact a bank or savings institution to set up a Totten Trust -- a trust or savings plan earmarked to pay for your final arrangements
 
Books
 
Last Wishes : A Funeral Planning Manual and Survivors Guide  -This straight-forward guide to pre-planning your own funeral explains the choices you can make. The rights of a consumer when dealing with the funeral industry are clarified. Throughout the manual there are many lists to help make choices including flowers, hymns and Bible readings. In the back of the book there is a set of forms that you can complete to create a written record of your plan. An appendix gives a listing of professional and
consumer groups.
$14.95
 
At Journey's End : The Complete Guide to Funerals and Funeral Planning by Abdullah Fatteh, et al $10.47 This book has sample pages