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Planning for Final Arrangements and Funerals

Though never a pleasant task, final arrangements are easier if conversations and some decisions have been made in advance. These conversations include what to do with the physical remains of the loved one, and what kind of ceremony to be held.

Once a death has occurred, there are three options for the final disposition of remains:

  • Ground Burial
    In addition to funeral home arrangements, expenses generally include: the plot prior to each internment; a perpetual care or grounds maintenance fee (if not included); opening/closing of the plot prior to internment; a marker or monument; and deeds and other administrative expenses. The Funeral Consumers Alliance of Central Texas website (www.FACCTX.org) includes a chart of price surveys for over 50 central Texas sites.
  • Cremation 
    When cremation is chosen, costs (without a funeral or service) include transporting the deceased from the place of death to the funeral provider’s facility; refrigeration of remains; the cremation process; placement of remains in a simple container, typically a plastic box; and required paperwork.
  • Donation for medical research and education (followed by cremation)
    This can be designated when you apply for or renew your drivers license or ID, or by registering at www.donatelife-texas.org. Registering documents your willingness to be a donor but there is no guarantee your organs, eyes, or tissue will be accepted at the time of death.
  • Whole Body Donation 
    Body donation for scientific, medical, or forensic research varies greatly. Some programs accept bodies from which organs, eyes and/or tissue have been donated; some cover body transport expenses; some return cremated returns at no charge. Central Texas organizations include:
     

 

Planning for the Ceremony

You are most vulnerable to sales tactics after a death.

You can walk into any funeral home in the United States, request a general price list, and walk out. You can request prices by phone. Embalming is not required by law. You are not required to buy a casket or an urn from a funeral home; you can find competitive prices elsewhere. Considering your options before the death can help you make informed choices.

Pre-paid funeral contracts are an option. Prepaid contracts do not generally include costs for death certificates, obituaries, honoraria for clergy and musicians, or flowers.  

 

For information about prepaid funeral contracts, visit www.Prepaidfunerals.texas.gov

Final arrangements are never easy to talk about or decide, but doing the research and decision-making in advance can make a painful task less painful.

 

 

 

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