BY SHEILA HARRIS sheilaharrisads@gmail.com

Families planning for their own deaths is a topic many people shy away from.

However, Bethany McCoy, of Fohn Funeral Home, and Skip White, of White Funeral Home & Crematory, agree that pre-arranged funeral planning is important.

“In today’s world, where adult children often live far away from their parents, maybe without firsthand knowledge of their parents’ wishes after their death, it’s especially important,” White said.

“Many people don’t realize until the last minute how important planning ahead could have been,” McCoy said. “With pre-arranged planning, some of the costs for a funeral are locked in, including the services, memorial folders and the vaults.”

McCoy said when she and her husband Todd bought Fohn Funeral Home in 2021, they inherited a few prepaid funeral plans from 30 years ago, where costs had increased significantly, but prices had been locked in.

Certain funeral expenses can’t be locked in, McCoy said, because they are dependent on third parties.

“Prices can vary on a number of expenses, including the cost of the death certificate, grave excavation, flowers, and even a lengthy obituary,” she said.

McCoy recommends a few simple actions that people can take to plan for a funeral.

“Take photos,” she said. “Maybe even arrange for a professional photo shoot of a loved one. Too many times, people scramble to come up with photos for the funeral service and an obituary after someone dies.”

If pre-arrangements have not been made, surviving family members sometimes also struggle to pay for a loved one’s funeral.

“A pre-arranged, or pre-need, funeral plan can be made irrevocable, so that funds can only be used for the funeral and not for other purposes,” McCoy said.

McCoy cites the example of residents who may be receiving state assistance.

“With an irrevocable pre-need funeral plan in place, the state will not be able to procure those assets that have been set aside,” she said.

McCoy said an option for owners of life insurance policies is to transfer them out of their name prior to their death, and assign them to another family member.

“That way, funds from the policy will be available for a funeral service,” she said.

McCoy reminds people to always name a person to whom a checking account (or even a car) is Payable on Death (POD).

“Otherwise, those funds or the car can be held in probate after a death,” she said.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9A White said he often runs into situations where a husband and wife had never discussed their funeral preferences, let alone planned for them, so when one of them passes unexpectedly, the other is left wondering what to do.

“People are most vulnerable after they lose a loved one, especially when the death is unexpected,” White said. “They’re just not thinking clearly.”

For that reason, White said he encourages his families not to overspend on funeral expenses.

“My philosophy has always been that people should be buried like they lived,” he said. “If a person led a simple life, I encourage their family to be modest, not to go overboard on a pricey casket and other related expenses.”

In addition to traditional funeral services and burials, White Funeral Home offers the option of cremation of a loved one’s body.

“If a person wants a traditional funeral service for their loved one — including a visitation and viewing of the body, with a cremation afterward — we have memorial caskets available for that purpose,” White said.

White said the memorial caskets are basically rental caskets, but they can make a traditional funeral service more affordable.

“Families need closure after a loved one dies, and a traditional funeral service can serve that purpose,” White said.

Alternatives to a traditional service — and growing in popularity — are Celebration of Life memorial services planned sometime after a cremation takes place, White said.

A lot of residents of Barry County have moved here from other parts of the country, said White, so some families opt to take the ashes of their loved ones “back home” for a burial and some type of memorial service.

White said he is grateful to live in a community where most people know each other and know their local funeral directors.

“That’s important,” he said. “When people are vulnerable, it can give them some comfort to know they can trust their funeral director.”