Preplanning Checklist

What Do I Need To Plan For?

Basic Needs:

• Decide which funeral home you would like to handle your final wishes
• Provide your chosen funeral home with your vital statistics that are needed for the death certificate
• Provide information you'd like included with in an obituary, if you would like to have one published.
• Write down your wishes for any services you'd like held in your memory

For the Arrangements:

• Choose Burial or Cremation
• Choose a Casket and/or Vault for the cemetery or a Cremation Receptacle
• Select the location for services (funeral home, church or other location)
• Select floral arrangements
• Select clothing for services or give detailed guidelines for your loved ones
• Pick out all of the Memorial Package items:
• Prayer Cards - Provide a photo for personalized cards or choose from our stock options and pick a verse/prayer/poem for the back of the cards
• Guest Register Book
• Thank You Cards - Provide a photos for personalized cards or choose from our stock options and pick a verse for the inside of the cards
• Decide how many Death Certificates will be needed for your family
• Decide if you would like an obituary published in a newspaper, on the funeral home website or both

For the Service:

• Decide where the service will take place (funeral home, church or other location)
• Would you like Clergy involved in the services?
• Are there any specific songs or reading you would like included?

For Final Disposition:

• Burial
• Which Cemetery would you like to be laid to rest?
• Would you like an in-ground burial or be placed in a mausoleum
• Would you like a grave marker or monument?
• Cremation
• Would you like your urn buried?
• Would you like in-ground burial or your urn placed in a columbarium?
• Who will keep your urn?
• Would you like a grave marker or monument?

Helpful Information

Vital Statistics can be collected during a PrePlanning meeting with our Advance Funeral Planning Specialist or filled out on our website with the PrePlanning Guide.

Here are some pieces of information you'll need:

• Your Social Security Number
• Fathers name (First, middle if applicable, and Last)
• Mothers name (First, Middle if applicable, and Maiden)
• Occupation and Working Industry, prior to retirement

Military Honors can be requested for any previous or current military member, of any branch, as long as the funeral home as copy of their DD-214 Form stating they received an honorable discharge from duty. With the DD-214 the funeral home can:

• Request Military Honors from any service branch
• Obtain an American Flag for the family that can be folded and displayed during services or draped over a casket during visitation.
• Schedule burial at a National Cemetery
• Request a VA grave marker, niche plate or marker medallion

Obituary information can be collected during a PrePlanning meeting as well, if you know information you'd like to include.  Here are some commonly referred to items:

• Hobbies/favorite pastimes
• Club or Organization Memberships
• Lifetime achievements or monumental occasions
• Being well known for..

WE KNOW...

All of this sounds overwhelming, but we are here to walk you through every step, one at a time.

Another benefit to Preplanning is that not everything needs to be done now.

Take the time to sure all of your wishes are exactly as you want them. Call any of our three locations to schedule an appointment with Jennifer Lucarz, Advance Funeral Planning Specialist.