Pre-Arrangements
The death of a loved one can be one of the most difficult, stressful experiences in life. We offer pre-arranged funeral services to help relieve your family of the emotional and financial burden associated with the steps involved in funeral planning. It is important to understand that a funeral can be pre-arranged without making a financial commitment. Consider the following advantages of a pre-arranged funeral:
- You can express you own wishes for your funeral – A properly documented pre-arrangement describes the type of service, merchandise and any special requests pertaining to the deceased. We guarantee that these wishes will be carried out in a professional and precise manner.
- You can avoid conflicts among your loved ones.
- You can relieve your survivors of the emotional and financial burden – Funeral expenses can be pre-funded to offset inflation. In other words, the services and merchandise purchased today are guaranteed, regardless of when they are needed.
- Pre-arranged funds are non-taxable.
- Pre-arranged funds can be transferred – Pre-funding does not obligate you to the funeral home where the arrangements are made. Monies paid to a funeral home are placed in your name in such a way that they may be transferred to another funeral home in the event that you may move or choose another facility.
- You can avoid Medicaid “spend-down” that can deplete the money in your estate.
- Safety and security – Funeral homes have a legal responsibility to place 100% of pre-funded funeral expenses into a trust account or some form of insurance vehicle.
- You can meet the funeral director – Pre-arranging allows you to get acquainted with the funeral director, ask him questions and gain a sense of assurance about your final arrangements.
Pre-arrangement encourages the discussion of your funeral arrangements with your family and friends. That’s important, as your death affects them very directly. You may wish to leave your final requests flexible to allow survivors to make appropriate changes in your arrangements for the fulfillment of their own emotional needs.
If you are having second thoughts about where you made your pre-arrangements, we will gladly honor pre-arrangements made at any funeral home. Remember, it is your choice. We appreciate that you are giving us, your local “hometown” funeral home, the opportunity to serve your family.
“Plan today, not tomorrow. Do it together, not alone. Do it for those you love.”
In this section
Making It Happen
With just one phone call, we can set up an appointment at your convenience and meet with you either at the funeral home or in the privacy of your home. We can help you pre-plan a meaningful, traditional or non-traditional funeral. The arrangements may involve discussing your wishes and requests with loved ones, deciding on the type of funeral you want and choosing funeral merchandise such as a casket and burial vault.
The information that we will obtain from you for completing an obituary and/or death certificate includes -- but is not limited to -- the following:
- Full name
- Full address, and any former address
- Social Security number
- Highest school grade completed
- Date and place of birth
- Father’s name
- Mother’s name (maiden)
- Are you married, divorced or never married
- Spouse’s name / address
- If spouse preceded you in death, his/her date of death
- Date and place of marriage
- Surviving children and their locations (City/St)
- Surviving siblings and their locations (City/St)
- Number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc.
- Preceded in death by: (children, brothers/sisters)
- Occupation / Place and type of work
- Military history (include awards/medals)
- Society and organization memberships
- Church membership
- Cemetery plot information
We suggest that you complete the information listed above and keep that information in a place known to family members. You may also forward a copy to the funeral home, which can keep it on file for future reference.
To learn more about pre-planning, please call the Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc. at (814) 695-9551, or click HERE to fill out our Contact form and we will respond to you.
Remember: Never trust door-to-door salesmen or phone solicitations for your final arrangements. Always insist on seeing a funeral director’s license. A licensed funeral director is the only person who is legally allowed to sell you funeral services. If the “Deal” sounds too good to be true, it probably is. ALWAYS compare costs of merchandise and services with your local funeral home and ask questions before taking any steps that you may regret later.