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Monthly Archives: October 2022

Documents For Last Wishes

If you are thinking about the future, well into the future (hopefully!), you might start to think about some of your final wishes for that time. It’s never a bad idea to let your family know what you have in mind, but you might also want to write some of those things out so you can get everything lined up for them in the future. It can also give you peace of mind to know that if you want cremation services in Tukwila, WA, or something else to happen specifically, you will have that happen when the time comes. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

Write Out Your Last Wishes

Sit down with a pen and paper, or with a blank document on your computer screen, and write out what you want. You might start with your final services, go through the resting place, memorial services, and so on. You can also do things like what you want for specific items in your house—who should get what, and any other thoughts you have in mind. Writing these things out can help you to process things and it can also help your loved ones to have that to follow later on.

Date The Item And Sign

Whenever you write something important like this out, it is a good idea to date and sign the item. That way, your family knows, years from now, when the document was written and that it was you that wrote things up. If the document isn’t dated and signed, it won’t hold as much weight with them.

Pass It Along To Family

After you have everything you want written out, you might want to pass a copy along to your family so they can keep track of it. Let them know where your copies are as well and that can help you to know that they have what they need when that time comes.

Legalize It, If Necessary

While writing something up yourself can be very helpful to your family, there are ways to make it more official and even legal, depending on what you are writing up. If you have written up your final wishes for services, one thing you can do to make that more official is to work with a cremation provider and get those services lined up and even paid for. Then, all your family has to have is the name of the cremation provider and they can call them when that time comes and your plans will take action.

If you are writing up who you want your house to go to, who gets your bank account funds, and other such things, it is really in your family’s best interest that you visit with a lawyer and have that written up officially into a will. You might leave extra notes about small things, but the major things will only be legal if you have it in an official will.

If you have other questions about final wishes, especially around cremation services in Tukwila, WA, talk to the funeral home professionals.

Burial’s Hidden Costs

When you have a traditional funeral for a loved one, the funeral homes in Tukwila, WA are going to be very open with the prices and costs involved with that. You should also find a cemetery that is open with their prices to ensure you get someone who is being fair with you. Prices should feel affordable and not sky high or rock bottom low. At the same time, there are some burial costs that feel obvious while other costs are more hidden in nature and not something you may even know about. Here are some of the costs that can arise that not everyone is aware of.

Burial Plot Types

Burial plots can vary in size and type and you are going to want to recognize the fact that different plots can cost different amounts. Plots can vary based on where they are situated within the cemetery, for example. A double plot, which can fit two people, is going to cost more than a single plot. And a cremation plot will cost the least. Keep in mind that plot prices vary and when you look at the average cost of a plot in a certain cemetery, that can go higher under certain circumstances.

Burial Vaults

One of the things that you will likely have to have for your loved one before the burial process can continue is a burial vault. This is a box that goes under the ground, around your loved one’s casket. It’s often required in cemeteries because it can protect your loved one as well as the integrity of the ground in the cemetery location. This might be something that is included in a package by some cemeteries while it might be an additional charge in another cemetery, so watch for those details.

Grave Opening And Closing

Another cost that is going to be necessary is the opening and closing of the grave. Cemeteries have special equipment for this and professionals take care of making the hole in the right manner and covering it up later once your loved one is in place. Again, some cemeteries offer this as part of a package and others will tack the price onto the plot once you have that purchased, which can feel like more of a surprise.

Maintenance Care

There are often options within the cemetery, but don’t be surprised if there are maintenance charges that you have to pay in order for the cemetery personnel to take care of your loved one’s grave once they are buried. You want the grounds to look nice for when you visit in the future and there could be costs involved with that. Some cemeteries allow family to maintain things on their own, too.

Headstone Installations

You know you are going to have to buy a headstone, but there are also installation charges that are going to go along with that. You might pay the cemetery for those fees or the headstone creator could do the installation as well. If you have questions, ask the funeral homes in Tukwila, WA.

Offering Professional Sympathies

It can be one thing to offer sympathy to a friend or family member when someone they know passes on, but you have a different relationship with the people you work with and it might feel awkward to offer sympathies in the same manner. Here are some things you can do to offer professional sympathy around cremation services in West Seattle, WA that a co-worker or employee is arranging for someone in their life.

Have An Office Delegate

Everyone in your office feels badly that your co-worker has lost someone close to them. But you can’t all necessarily take the day off and attend the final service. In fact, it might be overwhelming for the family if you did. Try to delegate that job to one person in the office, perhaps someone they are close with or the leader in their particular area. It is nice to have someone from the office attend the services, but not everyone has to go in order to get the support across.

Keep Things Professional In Tone

When you see your co-worker, you might want to reach out to them, but again, certain things are going to feel awkward to you. Hugging a friend is one thing. Hugging a co-worker in compassion can be another. If you don’t feel right about it, or if there are office policies in place, simply tell them you are sorry for their loss and to let you know if there’s anything you can help with. That can be enough as they will likely be getting their hugs from family members and friends.

Have A Gift From The Office

Many people like to reach out to those who are grieving with a gift of some kind. If everyone in your office sends something, again, that can be overwhelming. Instead, you might want to take up an offering together and send one flower arrangement, one card everyone signs, and one check for a memorial gift. Talk with your office group and see what might work best and then you can send something all together.

Offer Office Help

Another thing you can do is offer to help your co-worker in some way or another. You might tell a friend that you can come mow their grass or run errands for them, but for a co-worker, you might offer practical help around the office instead. Let them know that you can get their paperwork under control while they are gone, call back clients that need immediately answers, and will forward any emails they need to see right away. That kind of help can really give them peace of mind that things are under control while they are away.

Check With The Family Later

It’s always nice to check in with your co-worker after a little time has gone by and see how they are doing, whether that’s by phone, through an email, or even in person once they return to the office. They can use all of the support they can get right now through the cremation services in West Seattle, WA.

Putting The Funeral Procession Together

When you are having final services with funeral homes in West Seattle, WA, the professionals at the funeral home are going to take care of a lot of the details for you. You might want to know how they are going to run things so you know the operation of things going on around you. The funeral is something you have thought a lot about, and the funeral director will implement any of your plans for you. But you might not think as clearly about the processional part to the cemetery. Here are some of the things to keep in mind to put that part of the service together.

Announce The Procession At The Funeral

As the funeral portion of the event wraps up, you will want someone to announce the procession to everyone in attendance. They can state that the group is going to process to the cemetery in their vehicles and give out any instructions needed. The attendees will need to know where they should drive to get in line and any other details they have to have to get lined up in the right location.

Hand Out Car Markers

It is often nice for the vehicles within the processional to have a flag or another marker on their car so anyone driving around you will easily know that those vehicles are part of the funeral. You can have someone hand those out as people go through the receiving line, at the exit door, or even in the parking lot as people make their way back to their vehicles.

Ask For Hazard Lights

As a part of your instructions when you announce things in the funeral home, you might ask people to turn on their hazard lights, or their day lights, or both. That way, the vehicles in the processional are able to be identified with ease. People generally know not to break up these groups, but you are going to want to ensure the group can easily be recognized.

Have Someone Directing The Line

The funeral home will likely take care of many of the details, like hanging out flags or other markers, giving instructions at the end of the service, and even telling people to put on their hazard lights. They can also have someone stationed in the parking lot to direct attendees into the correct line. That will help everyone to know where to go without a doubt. It will give people peace of mind to know they are in the right place.

There are many details that go into planning and operating a final service and you want things to go just right for your loved one. When you work with the professionals at funeral homes in West Seattle, WA, they are going to make sure you have everything you need. If you have questions along the way, never be afraid to ask. They are your support system and they want you to have the compassion and details you need to make confident decisions during this hard, emotional time.

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