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Section 18
Funeral Planning
Checklists, Planners, Etiquette, Memorials,
Products, Books |
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.
How to Write A EulogyFrom the Funerals With Love website, a detailed plan on writing a eulogy for a loved
one.
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Other
Resources
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
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