Helpful Tips for Funeral Planning in Westchester, IL: How to Make Your Funeral Wishes Known

Getting older means having to consider some uncomfortable and potentially stressful arrangements other than your will. We are talking, of course, about any wishes you may have for your funeral arrangements—unless your wishes are for your surviving family members to make plans after your passing, and they are aware of this. Yes, it’s a touchy subject, but it’s important to discuss for many reasons. First, leaving the funeral planning to grieving family members can add stress on top of their already emotional state. Or, if you do have final wishes, you need to put them in writing or tell someone.

It can be difficult to think or even talk about funeral planning in Westchester, IL, and pre-arranged funeral discussions can be uncomfortable for some family members. Below are tips that will help you make your funeral wishes known to your loved ones:

• Write down your wishes in more than one place: Your last will and testament or living will lets your family or trustee know what you want done with your property after you die. While you can include your funeral wishes in this document, it’s important that this is not the only place where you write it down. This is because your family could have already made funeral arrangements by the time they actually read your will.
• Keep your wishes separate from your will: Even if you verbally inform your loved ones about your funeral wishes, you still need to write them down on a piece of paper separate from your will or trust. Include the kind of service you want—such as a funeral or memorial service—when and where it should take place, who you want to be invited and if you want to be cremated or buried, and where.
• Store your funeral wishes online: Did you know there are websites dedicated to documenting and storing your funeral wishes? It’s convenient, doesn’t take up space and you can make changes at any time. Some even have the option to create messages to be emailed to loved ones after your passing.
• Have a talk with your loved ones: You might prefer verbalizing your final wishes to loved ones instead of putting them in writing. This conversation can include simple requests like whether you want to be cremated or buried, or that you wish for a celebration of life instead of a somber memorial service. As basic as these wishes are, they provide a general idea to your family. Not comfortable talking face to face? Then shoot a video of yourself listing your funeral wishes and give it to someone you trust to hold.

Some people want a traditional funeral, others want to be cremated and some only desire a memorial or celebration of life service. You might also want to plan your own funeral to spare your loved ones the difficult task. As you can see, you have options when it comes to funeral services in Westchester, IL.

If you would like to discuss funeral planning, contact the caring and respectful staff at Marik-Baken Funeral Services Ltd. anytime. We are here to answer your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Categorised in: Funeral Planning

This post was written by Writer