Many adults desire to make their own funeral arrangements and record the information at the funeral home. Their desire is to help alleviate many of the decisions that are required at the time of death. Although this is very beneficial, it is necessary to have a family meeting, however it is important to share this information with family members so they are aware of the decisions that have been made. Today with many families living throughout the United States a family meeting is not always possible, it is important to share all the pre-arrangement information with all family members who would be involved in the final decision making process. What type of service, casket, and burial information may have already been included in the pre-arrangement, but family members would still need to make final decisions concerning when there will be visitation, time of service whether funeral (with the body present) or memorial (without the body present), are all the pallbearers still available, and is the obituary information still correct.
Today, we have many options available to us concerning pre-arrangements. Any type of pre-arrangement may be made without any financial commitment at the time of pre-arrangements. We document all information and confidentially hold the information until we provide services for that family. Pre-paying for pre-arrangements is strictly a personal choice for each family. We would be pleased to share why one may or may not desire to pre-pay at the time of making pre-arrangements. The Staff at Osgood Funeral Home is available 24 hours a day to answer your many questions. We are also available at mail@osgoodfuneral.com if you prefer to e-mail questions.
In general, pre-arrangements can include:
- Collecting Vital Statistics
This includes any or all of the following information for the death certificate such as:
-Name and Name at Birth
-Date and Place of Birth
-Social Security Number
-Education
-Marital Status
-Spouses name if married
-Current Address (Street Number, City, Village, or Township, State)
-Parents Names including mothers maiden name
-Ancestry (German, German/English, French/Swedish)
-Hispanic (yes or no)
-Veteran: Branch, Rank, Date of Enlistment, Date of
Discharge, Serial Number
This information may be found on a Military Discharge or a DD 214 Form. We can assist you
in securing this information if it has been lost or is not readily available.
-Informant: This is the person who would be providing information at the time of death and because of privacy laws is typically the person that would handle settling the majority of the legal affairs of the deceased.
-Cemetery: Name, City, Location: Section, Lot Space
-Number of Certified Copies of the Death Certificate to settle legal matters
We can advise you in this area.
- Obituary Information
Information for the obituary would include parents 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 donations to a charitable organization for those who choose to do so instead of sending flowers, and visitation and service information.
- Selecting Services
At this time families may select the type of Service they wish to have. Selections could include place of service such as at the funeral home, church, graveside, or other location, Visitation including one or two days or portion thereof, whether there would be a Fraternal or Service Organization service.
At this time it would be appropriate to discuss any of the many different ways to personalize the service to best pay tribute to one's life. Personalization may include someone "special" to read a poem, to sing, or to deliver a eulogy. Other options for personalization include displaying a persons craft work such as quilting, needlepoint, woodworking, hobbies, or unique collections.
- Selecting Merchandise
Families making pre-arrangements may express to the funeral home the type of casket, Outer Burial Container(vault)**, memorial folders, and thank-you cards they wish to have used for their service.
**Many people believe that it is State Law that a vault is used at the cemetery. This has been a misconception for some time. It is not a State Law that requires a vault to be used at the cemetery, but requirements of each individual cemetery. In this geographical area, all cemeteries require the use of an Outer Burial Container (Vault).
- Cash Advance Items (Items We Buy for You) these items include:
-Certified copies of the Death Certificate (price varies from county to county and State to State depending where the death occurs.
-Grave Opening and Closing
-Cemetery Tent and Equipment (Some cemeteries include this cost in their Opening and Closing and others do not provide the necessary equipment at which time these items are rented from the Vault Company).
-Honorariums: This would include Clergy, family friend or designated person that would be responsible for making the service meaningful to the family and those attending. Although Clergy do not set or request a fee for conducting a service, it is typical that the family give the person conducting the service an Honorarium.
-Date Cutting for Marker: When a family has purchased a Marker for the cemetery prior to 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.
-Obituaries: Today, most newspapers have some type of charge for placing an obituary in their newspaper. Costs range from a small set fee to hundreds of dollars with the cost based solely on the length. Other items such as photographs and specialized emblems also add to the cost of the obituary.
When making pre-arrangemnts, families may give us as much or as little information as they desire. All information is held confidential until we are asked to serve the family.