I read the article by Sharon Kickertz-Gerbig in Thursday's Dickinson Press Life section with interest. The article was very well done and informative, there are some points of clarification that need to be made.
The pre-planning of a funeral service is a valuable and wonderful process and having your children's or families involvement is important. The reason is to allow them an opportunity to participate in a very special time. We have no control as to when a loved one dies, and then if we don't, or feel we don't, have any say in the funeral service, this can make the grieving process more difficult. If your kids are not able to be part of a pre-arrangement then we do encourage you to talk to them about your wishes and that these are just guidelines for them at the time of your death.
When setting monies aside for your funeral service, we as a funeral provider are very well regulated. The States Security Commissioner gets an annual report of monies deposited and also monies that are withdrawn at the time of death or prior to the time of death. Money withdrawn prior to the death can only be withdrawn by the family itself, the funeral home has no access to this money.
In the event that a funeral home no longer exists or the family chooses to use another funeral home for whatever reason, the money can and should be transferred (without question or hassle). The new funeral home will have their own price list for the services, caskets and outer burial containers that they provide. If their costs are higher then your original funeral home, they may require the family to make up the difference, or they may simply handle this the way it was originally set up. If the funeral home charges less, then any money not used would be returned to the family. There may be some situations when the excess money may have to be turned into the state.
Funeral homes are required to provide a copy of their General Price list, and should also give you a copy of their Casket Price and Outer Burial Price list. A consumer has a right to compare and make a choice based on the information provided.
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We wish Sharon well on her retirement and thank her for the nice articles that have always been done.
Jim Ladbury,
Dickinson
