Bladen Funeral Home.

Pre-Planning

Why do families pre-plan?

There are many reasons families pre-plan, including:

To give yourself time to think about certain aspects of the service without having to make immediate decisions
Make sure your preferences for the type of funeral service you desire are fulfilled
Control Costs. By paying for your funeral in advance, your assets are protected and grow at competitive interest rates
To relieve your family members of the financial responsibility of funeral expenses at the time of death. By making the decision to pre-pay now, you will lock in the cost of your funeral at today's prices, even if you live for many more years. When you pre-arrange and pre-pay, you can be assured that definite arrangements have been made and no other financial decisions will need to be faced. No matter what the cost of fulfilling your last wishes at your time of need, pre-payment guarantees the cost will remain constant, regardless of inflation.
To ensure understanding of possible benefits at the time of death for your survivors, such as social security, veteran benefits, and life insurance claims
To avoid giving the surviving family members the 97 decisions that must be made on the most difficult day of their life. Pre-planning your funeral is a wonderful gift that you can give your family. Pre-planning takes the worry and stress from your family and also allows them to rest in the fact that your wishes are being followed. Your family will know what you want, and not what they think you want.
Knowing that your plans and confidences are with a family-owned business that, along with their staff, has over 150 years combined experience and is dedicated to providing superior quality and value at affordable prices.

At Bladen Funeral Home and Cremation Service, we'll help you put it in writing. Writing it down will help avoid family disputes, or involvement by others that may not know what your wishes are. Your loved ones won't question: "Did we do the right thing? Did we forget anything? Is this what she/he wanted? Did we spend too much?" All that is eliminated because you put it in writing.

Any type of service may be pre-planned. Inflation-proof contracts are available which will guarantee today’s prices for future needs. You do not have to prepay in order to pre-plan. If you have already pre-planned your funeral and would now prefer our facilities and services, your pre-arrangements can easily be transferred. You may wish to change to higher quality arrangements or you may be entitled to a refund.

If you would like further information about pre-planning your funeral, please click here.

Things that must be done on the Most Difficult Day of Your Life

A. SECURE VITAL STATISTICS (Required For Documents)

Full name, complete address, telephone number
Date of birth
Place of birth
Marital status
Educational attainment
Citizenship (US/Canadian/Other)
Father's name
Mother's maiden name
Social Security Number
Veteran's Serial/Service Number
Date & place of service, date of discharge
How long at current residence/former residence(s)
Occupation, job title, nature of work & history
Location of workplace, telephone number
Family origin

B. PAY SOME OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING

Estate / Inheritance taxes
Funeral expenses
Purchase of family burial estate, mausoleum crypt, cremation niche, opening & closing costs
Permanent memorialization
Monument/Marker engraving charges
Clergy
Organist and vocalist
Florist
Obituary Fees
Clothing for burial, entombment or cremation
Long distance telephone charges
Food for visiting relatives
Transportation costs
Doctors
Nurses
Other medical practitioners
Ambulance
Hospital/Nursing Home
Medications & drugs
Current & urgent bills (mortgage/rent, taxes, installment payments, etc.)

C. COLLECT DOCUMENTS AND PAPERWORK

Birth certificate/legal proof of age
Citizenship papers
Social Security card or number
Marriage license
Veteran's discharge certificate
Insurance policies (life, health, accident, property, auto)
Disability claims
Bank books and listing of accounts
Other financial accounts
Cemetery deed or proof of ownership
Auto titles or bill of sale
Income tax returns, receipts & canceled checks

D. DECIDE AND ARRANGE WITHIN A FEW HOURS

Exact location of burial/disposition and which space to open
Location of service
Service type (religious, fraternal, military)
Time for visitation and funeral service
Arrange for special religious services
Provide information for eulogy
Determine if casket is open or closed
Burial Vault
Provide vital statistics about deceased for newspaper
Clothing and jewelry for deceased
Selection of scripture & readings (poems etc.)
Selection of clergy
Funeral Home preference
Marking of grave (either temporary or permanent)
Charitable contributions for memorials in memory of deceased
Register book, memorial/prayer cards
Select Pallbearers
Select floral arrangements
Musical selections
Select Organist/Vocalist
Clothing for you & minor children
Decide who will look after minor children/pets
House cleaning
Extra chairs
Decide if transportation is needed for family & guests, including funeral procession lineup
Reviewing & signing all paperwork
Answering innumerable phone calls, messages and letters
Necessary meetings with funeral director, lawyer, clergy, cemetery, etc.
Arrange lodging for out-of-town guests
Acknowledging those who help in a special way (contributors of flowers, food, donations, etc.)
Order certified copies of death certificate
Items for memento display
Review deceased's will regarding special wishes

E. PLAN TO NOTIFY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

All relatives
All friends
Minister and church
Funeral director
Pallbearers
Cemetery
Doctor
Employer of deceased
Employers of relatives not going to work
Organist, other musicians & vocalists
Newspapers regarding notices
Social Security Administration
Veterans Administration
Insurance agents
Religious, fraternal, civic organizations & unions
Attorney, accountant, financial planner & executor of estate
Credit card companies

For more information about Pre Planning, please contact us today