I don’t know how to tell you this, but…
by Mortuary Transport Expert ~ June 23rd, 2008. Filed under: Death In The News.Here is an excellent interview published by The Arizona Republic. This is good information for everyone, but especially for the Mortuary Transportation business person, as it helps answer a few questions you’ll hear along the way.
Prearrangements are important, and we all should grow up and deal with it. You can’t avoid it, so it’s silly trying. I don’t know how to tell you this, but… You’re going to die.
With that out of the way, it’s important to know the most recent facts and figures in your area of service, professionally, geographically and economically.
Depending on your needs as a consumer, there are quite a few options for taking care of your remains, all you have to do is look around. Lenin is on display. Some families create a shrine for the ashes of their loved ones. You can spend anywhere from $0 to tens of thousands on just the disposition of your remains. Many times it’s thought that the more you spend, the more important you think you are or others think you are.
If you want to be pretentious, go for it! If you want to out quietly with less than a whimper, more power to you. It’s your choice, but it’s better that you make that choice instead of others… like the state.
You should arrange for the disposition of your remains just like you should arrange for the disposition of your other worldly goods.
Just think of how much easier it would be if some of your deceased loved ones had taken care of things before hand.
If you’ve had loved ones plan everything, remember how much easier it was to to think about them and how they impacted your life in a positive way instead of all the stress you could have gone through trying to figure out and guess what they would have wanted, or just say ‘I don’t care what they wanted, they’re dead!’ to squeeze out of the pain that considering the details requires.
Don’t take any chances, make your arrangements now, or at least make your wishes known, even if you’re not sick. Look at all the accidents that happen every day to people who expected to wake up tomorrow.
Prearrange funeral, avoid making hasty decisions later
Darryl Roberts is a Scottsdale funeral consumer advocate who has spent a lifetime in the industry.
He was the guest last week on aztalk Live Talk Wednesday with aztalk/Viewpoints editor Joe Garcia. You can read the full interview at az talk.azcentral.com
At 14, Roberts began working summers in a cemetery, helping to mow grass and trim memorials and occasionally helping to dig graves by hand. While in college, he worked as a salesman. After graduation, he worked as a cemetery manager.
After managing a cemetery, Roberts was promoted in 1969 to business manager of Associated Cemetery Estates, and became president and CEO in 1980. The company owned or managed about 24 cemeteries and 5 funeral homes.
Roberts sold the business, then known as Legacy One, in 1994. At the time, the firm was handling about 3,000 burials a year.
1. It seems Americans are uptight when it comes to talking about funerals. Is it that way in other countries?
Most people are reluctant to talk about death and the event. This is universal and not just specific to the United States.
2. What is the No. 1 mistake people make when arranging for a funeral?
Unfortunately, the majority of people are forced into making arrangements under duress. They do not have the time or emotional fortitude to do the research necessary to make an informed decision. The only way to prevent this is to prearrange the funeral. Of course, this is not always possible. Consumers are making a very large financial decision while in an emotionally unstable situation. This allows the industry to manage the arrangement decision and often ends up with the consumer overspending on items they do not really want or need. For instance, never buy a protective casket. These do nothing to prevent the normal decomposition of human remains.
3. What do funeral-related costs run these days?
The funeral home charges run about $6,000 and the cemetery fees are an additional $5,000.
4. Do individuals own burial plots or can a cemetery do what it wants with the property?
Typically, individuals own the right to burial at a location within the cemetery, but they do not actually own the property.
5. Are caskets “one size fits all?”
No. There are about five different sizes, from caskets for infants to those that are oversized.
6. From Dawn Clear of Glendale: I would like to know if I can be put in a wooden box and taken to the cemetery and buried . . . ? I simply want to have the grave dug and be buried.
You can be put in a wooden box and be buried as you wish, but you will still need a death certificate and probably the use of a mortuary.
7. Is cremation a viable option? It seems like we’re running out of space, and maybe it’s cheaper?
Cremation is becoming more popular. About one-third of all deaths are handled by cremation. States in the West are now seeing cremation rates of over 50 percent and those in the South are still under 20 percent. It can be significantly less expensive. An immediate cremation can be bought for around $700. A family can then have a memorial service at the location of their choice and scatter the remains for very little additional money. However, the industry will try to sell additional services to help maximize their profits.
8. Can ashes be spread legally atop a mountain or in the ocean?
There are laws in most states that prevent spreading remains in most public places. But to the best of my knowledge, there has never been anyone charged as a result of private spreading. I know of no laws that would prevent ocean scattering.
9. How do you keep emotions out of the equation? Often, death is unexpected.
When your loved one is dead, it is impossible to keep the emotion away. This is the No. 1 cause of overspending. Always take someone with you who, as much as possible, is not emotionally involved.
10. Are most funerals covered by insurance?
Many people have personal life insurance that may be used to pay for funerals, and there are specific insurance policies that cover some funeral costs.
11. What’s the secret in finding a good mortuary? Word of mouth?
There are good mortuaries and good people who run them. The only way to find them is to personally contact them and see for yourself.
12. Is there a national board of funeral directors, or something like that, to help regulate the industry?
There is no national board with oversight of the industry. Every state has some form of board oversight, but these seats are dominated by industry members and tend to usually find in the industry’s favor instead of the consumer.
13. Instead of sending flowers, should people send money to the deceased’s favorite charity or to the deceased’s family to help pay for the funeral?
This is a personal decision. Some believe that flowers are soothing to family members, so they send flowers. Some believe that it is a more lasting remembrance to donate to the deceased’s favorite charity. Often the family, will lead the way to whichever they want.
