Getting Parents to Preplan Their Funerals; Lead by Example!
I am routinely asked how to get mom or dad to discuss their funeral prearrangements. It’s really very simple, lead by example. If you feel it’s time to discuss funeral and cemetery plans with your parents, invite them to go with you as you make your own plan. Explain why you feel you need to take care of these decisions before need. Discuss the importance of knowing your options to cover these predictable expenses.
Believe me; no one has regretted planning their funeral in advance. And involving your parents or children makes it even more meaningful.
Being better educated translates into better decisions. Cemetery and funeral options have expanded over the years. Whether you are choosing cremation, traditional burial or green burial options, it’s a great time to open the conversation with the adults you have always trusted to guide you.
A copy of our general preplanning guide is available on our website. This basic guide provides a great start for documenting personal plans while helping you and your family collect important paperwork which is often stashed throughout your home. I’m pretty sure mom and dad will take a hint and follow your lead.
There is no time like now to visit with a final expense professional. There may be special programs that your family qualifies for, such as veteran’s benefits or cemetery discounts. Keep your parents active in the conversation. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. An average appointment takes about an hour. You might want a direct cremation, your spouse a private estate on the hill. Yes, you can have both!
Preplanning does not automatically include prefunding but there are budgeting alternatives available to fit most family incomes, so don’t put it off. The reality is, death comes to all of us no matter what age we are! Be prepared.
Author – Barb Milton is the Vice President of Community Relations for Buchanan Group, Inc. Barb’s extensive industry background makes her a preferred guest speaker throughout the country regarding final expense decisions.
Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Centers
400th Committal At Hamilton Memorial Park
“New” cemetery becoming the new tradition in the Westfield and Noblesville area.
Hamilton Memorial Park opened for business October 1997. The first committal was completed on October 11, 1997 after a 16-year-old Westfield High School student tragically died in a car wreck. Her parents desire was for her to be close by and wanted her at this new cemetery called Hamilton Memorial Park. She was temporarily entombed at Washington Park North Cemetery until October when she was brought to Hamilton for her final resting place.
Our 200th committal was completed on January 18, 2006 and the 400th committal May 12th, 2011. He is a US Air Force retired Major and will be laid to rest next to his wife in the Field of Honor-Veterans Section. It is an honor for us to have a veteran as our 400th committal during the month of May.
I would like to remind everyone, Hamilton will be having their annual Veterans Memorial Service on Memorial Day at 9:00 a.m. The service will be approximately 20-25 minutes and all are invited. Bring your lawn chairs.
Dick McDivitt
Manager, Hamilton Memorial Park
Indianapolis’ Oldest Catholic Cemetery Exchanges Roads for Burial Spaces
The Archdiocese of Indianapolis is proud to announce that ground burial spaces are available once again at Holy Cross St. Joseph Cemetery. After nearly 25 years of being at full ground capacity, the city’s oldest Catholic cemetery has reclaimed roads within the cemetery to add more burial spaces.
“Families with historic ties to the cemetery now have an option to use the cemetery again,” said Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel, a long-time advocate for the cemeteries belonging to the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. “It’s a rebirth, an opportunity to reestablish a tradition that dates back to the cemetery’s founding in 1862.”
The new burial section is called St. John the Evangelist in honor of the burial section it sits next to. This new area features a “family companion ground burial” system which adds 260 new burial spaces. Each purchaser will be required to buy two spaces. This section was created by reclaiming a cemetery road which intersects with Kelly Street on the northern side of the cemetery.
Also in the works is a new community mausoleum that will sit at the head of the new burial section at the Kelly Street gate. This building will provide an addition 60 above-ground crypt spaces. Final details of this building’s design are still being developed.
“There are some unique features to this new in-ground burial system, said Tim Elson, the Executive Director for the Catholic Cemeteries. It is the driest form of ground burial because a drainage system is built in. So the water that typically destroys a vault over time will be removed, helping to sustain the cemetery.”
“Being able to expand ground burial without acquiring more land is another positive,” said Elson. “We will have less road maintenance in the future plus more burial space, that’s a win-win for the environment.”
St. John Cemetery was established four years after St. John Academy was built in downtown Indianapolis in 1858; Father Auguste Bessonies purchased 18 acres of land two miles south of the city for this new venture. The present rectory of St. John Parrish still stands at 126 W. Georgia Street. The now historic cemetery was first known as the “Irish Graveyard.”
Future sustainability of the site is a priority. “If this program is successful and we have every reason to believe it will be, there are more roads we can look to reclaim,” said Elson.