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Description
Funeral pre-planning is something done for loved ones, not for oneself. Every year, more and more people are planning ahead for their funeral services so their loved ones don’t have to. Learn why you want to plan ahead, how to create your wishes in writing, and make sure your needs are taken care of.
A
Welcome
to
a
coffee
talk
on
a
funeral,
pre-planning
I've
seen
a
lot
of
familiar
face
from
earlier
this
week.
But
for
those
who
do
not
know
me,
my
name
is
Amanda
Crombie
and
I
am
a
program
coordinator
here
at
Creekside,
Community
Center,
so
I'm
going
to
turn
it
over
to
Pam.
We'll
talk
about
funeral
pre-planning.
First.
B
Of
all,
like
Amanda
said,
my
name
is
Pam
Fatso's
I
work
for
a
local
funeral
home
here,
it's
Washburn
McCreevy
funeral
chapels
we
own
and
operate
about
16
locations
and
four
cemeteries
around
the
Minneapolis
metropolitan
area,
the
family
it's
in
their
160th
year,
so
it's
still
family-owned,
which
is
which
is
really
a
good
thing.
They're
in
their
fifth
generation
I've,
been
with
them
for
10
years
and
have
been
the
manager
of
the
prearrangement
department,
the
entire
time.
So
talking
about
pre-arrangements
a
little
bit
about
me,
how
I
got
into
this
unique
business
was
by
default.
B
I
married
my
first
husband,
who
was
finishing
mortuary
science
school
in
Dallas
Texas.
So
right
after
we
married,
we
moved
into
a
funeral
home.
Now
it
wasn't
that
quite
a
honeymoon,
but
anyway
I
kind
of
I
was
I,
was
young
at
the
time
and
never
been
exposed
to
a
lot
of
death.
So
it
was
interesting
to
move
into
a
funeral
home.
I
worked
outside
of
the
funeral
home,
but
I
kind
of
helped
in
every
facet.
So
I
I
got
an
education.
B
If
you
will,
we
lived
there
and
not
just
that
when
we
moved
around,
but
we've
lived
in
funeral
homes
for
about
ten
years
before
I
experienced
one
of
the
closest
deaths
to
me,
and
that
was
my
grandmother.
Well,
my
grandmother
and
my
grandfather
told
my
mother,
who
would
be
responsible
for
taking
an
arrangements
that
they
had
everything
done.
We
have
all
the
plans
made
so
when
I
went
to
help.
My
mother
make
arrangements
for
my
grandmother
when
she
passed
away.
I.
B
Think
the
funeral
director
who
knew
me
and
who
knew
I
had
lived
in
a
funeral
home
and
had
some
experience
looked
at
me
like
I,
was
a
deer
in
the
headlights,
because
I
couldn't
answer
a
lot
of
the
questions
that
he
had
and
by
the
way
when
my
grandparents
said
they
had
everything
taken
care
of,
they
had
their
plots
and
their
stones
and
no
funeral
arrangements.
So
it
was
very
difficult
for
my
mother
to
have
to
go
in
on
one
of
the
worst
days
of
her
life
and
make
those
arrangements
fast-forward.
B
Three
weeks
later,
my
grandfather
died.
So
I
guess
the
only
good
news
is.
Is
we
already
had
a
little
bit
of
experience,
but
we
had
to
do
it
again
and
you
know
as
I
look
back.
There
are
so
many
things
that
that
didn't
reflect
who
my
grandparents
were.
My
grandfather
was
a
woodworker
and
we
got.
We
picked
out
a
metal
casket
because
it
was
blue.
I
still
think
you
should
have
had
a
wooden
casket,
my
grandmother.
We
picked
her
casket
based
on
what
matched
her
dress.
B
So
there
wasn't
a
lot
of
time
and
there
wasn't
a
lot
of
thought
that
could
be
put
into
those
decisions.
You
know
they
say
that
when
a
death
occurs
and
you
have
to
make
arrangements,
there
are
anywhere
from
95-plus
decisions
that
need
to
be
made
and
they
have
to
be
made
pretty
soon.
You
walk
in,
and
things
have
to
get
going
right.
You
have
to
plan
for
that
service
and
you
have
to
make
decisions.
You
have
to
get
the
obituary
in.
You
have
to
get
the
church.
B
If
that's
the
church,
you
have
to
get
that
coordinated
music.
All
of
that-
and
it's
done
in
a
very
short
time
in
fact,
a
lot
of
the
same
elements
that
go
into
planning
a
wedding
go
into
planning
a
funeral,
and
so
you
know
you
can
take
up
to
nine
months
a
year
to
plan
a
wedding
but
a
funeral,
and
you
only
have
a
couple
days.
So
that's
what
we're
here
today
to
help
you
get
started
with.
B
First
of
all,
I'm
going
to
get
a
little
bit
of
interaction
from
you,
because
I
don't
like
to
just
sit
and
talk
I
like
to
have
you
participate
a
little
bit
so
how
many
of
you
have
had
to
make
funeral
arrangements
for
a
loved
one,
raise
your
hand.
So
most
of
you
actually
have
had
that
experience
right.
How
many
of
you
have
made
plans
for
yourself,
Regent?
B
Okay,
congratulations
to
those
of
you
that
have
so.
What
we're
here
today
is
I
want
to
talk
to
you,
because
a
lot
of
you
have
already
had
some
experience
with
having
to
make
those
plans,
and
we
say
people
come
in
to
the
funeral
home
one
of
two
ways:
either
you're
prepared
or
you're
unprepared
and
prepared
means
somebody
took
the
time
to
make
the
plans
ahead
of
time
and
pick
and
choose
all
of
those
elements
and
I'm
prepared,
obviously,
is
there's
nothing,
that's
been
done
and
you
have
to
make
those
decisions.
B
C
B
Well,
you
guys
have
had
a
lot
of
experience.
Thank
you
for
your
participation.
I
want
to
take
a
minute,
and
just
look
at
this:
it's
not
that
I'm,
a
messy
writer
necessarily,
but
how
does
that
make
you
feel
confused
overwhelmed
very
overwhelmed?
That's
what
it
feels
like
to
come
in
on
the
worst
day
of
your
life
and
have
to
make
arrangements
for
somebody
that
hasn't
taken
the
time
to
make
them
in
themselves.
B
Now,
if
you
do
make
your
arrangements
ahead
of
time,
your
family
is
left
with
these
two
decisions
right
and
I'm
simplifying,
but
basically,
if
you've
made
all
those
choices,
they
really
just
have
to
do
a
little
bit
to
enhance
that
service,
you
may
be
putting
photo
boards
together
or
putting
a
video
together,
getting
together
and
just
being
together
right.
This
is
not
how
you
want
to
leave
your
family
on
the
worst
day
of
their
life
and
there's
one
thing
that
didn't
get
mentioned:
how
are
you
going
to
pay
for
it.
B
Funerals
today,
unlike
years
ago,
are
due
the
payment
is
due
when
you
make
arrangements
it's
the
world,
we
live
in,
it's
when
you
go
to
the
doctor
or
the
dentist
or
anything
else.
The
payment
is
due
at
the
time,
and
it's
not
always
easy
for
people
to
have
to
write
a
check
for
whatever
amount
and
pay
for
that.
So
that's
another
advantage
of
taking
care
of
things
ahead
of
time.
You
have
options,
you
have
options
for
payment
plans
or
paying
it
all
at
once
or
paying
it
a
little
at
a
time.
B
B
This
is
designed
to
save
your
family
time
money
and
hardship
when
your
death
occurs,
I'm
going
to
go
through
the
first
bit
of
the
book
and
its
system
a
little
bit
of
information.
The
first
is
a
verse.
We
shape
our
lives
not
by
what
we
carry
with
us,
but
by
what
we
leave
behind
this
says
that
we
plan
for
everything
else
in
life.
We
plan
for
our
education,
births,
retirement
vacations
and
it
only
makes
sense
to
plan
for
your
final
events,
your
funeral.
The
next
page,
is
a
few
statistics.
B
B
Does
that
apply
to
anybody
here?
That's
I
thought
that
was
staggering
and
three
out
of
five
funerals
at
Washburn
McCreevy.
That
does
handle
our
prepaid
and
pre-arranged.
So
it's
not
a
new
thing.
A
lot
of
people
have
done
this
for
a
while.
You
know
at
the
time
when
you
have
to
make
decisions
for
planning
a
funeral.
These
are
some
of
the
things
that
you
would
experience.
B
There's
something
called
emotional
overspending.
Does
anybody
know
what
that
is
so
emotional
overspending
is
when
nothing
is
too
good
for
your
loved
one.
So
if
things
have
not
been
planned
and
you
walk
in
and
you
think
mom
needs
the
best
casket
her
mom
needs
the
best
vault.
We
need
to
get
the
best
flowers
by
you
taking
the
time
to
make
those
decisions.
It
takes
that
away.
They'll
respect
what
you
want.
Your
wishes,
there's
hasty
decisions.
As
we
talked
about
you
have
to
make
those
decisions
right
now.
B
B
B
Your
family
is
not
responsible
to
pay
any
more
for
those
same
arrangements
and
merchandise
like
a
casket
or
an
urn
or
a
vault,
no
matter
how
much
our
prices
go
up
now,
I
had
a
question
earlier
about
gosh.
We
we
did
this
and
we
had
to
pay
more
at
the
time.
Well,
first
of
all,
if
there's
a
guarantee,
it
just
simply
means
it's.
The
funeral
homes
cost.
B
The
other
way
you
would
have
to
pay
anymore
is,
if
you
change
your
mind,
and
maybe
the
family
wants
to
upgrade
and
get
a
different
plan,
and
they
just
use
the
money
that
you
put
aside
as
a
credit,
and
then
the
family
would
pay
the
difference,
but
that's
really
the
only
way
that
you
would
have
to
pay
more
if
the
funeral
home
offers
a
guarantee,
they
have
to
honor
it
now,
some
people
are
confused.
How
that
works
and
really
our
prices
continue
to
go
up
and
the
money
is
invested
in
an
irrevocable
trust.
B
B
The
funeral
home
still
has
to
provide
what
they
you
know
what
they
promised
you
if,
for
some
reason,
the
growth
would
go
back
to
what
it
was
in
the
80s
and
high
interest
rates
and
there's
more
money
in
the
accounts,
then
that
money
is
given
back
to
the
family,
but
the
growth
and
the
money
in
the
in
the
account
is
used
to
offset
the
increase
in
the
funeral
expense.
So
if
there's
not
enough,
that's
okay,
your
family
still
doesn't
have
to
pay
more
if
there
would
have
to
be
more
than
the
family
gets
it
back.
B
You
know
we
often
get
calls
from
people,
and
they
say
you
know
my
husband
is
just
going
into
hospice.
We
have
to
make
a
plan
and
we
can
help
people
with
that,
of
course,
but
again
that
is
not
the
best
time
to
plant
I've
been
in
that
situation,
where
my
grandmother
was
imminent.
She
had
cancer,
and
it
was
just
sort
of
hard
to
talk
about
that.
You
didn't
want
to
bring
it
up
and
make
make
it
sound,
like
you'd
lost
hope.
So
you
really
want
to
talk
about
these
things.
B
This
is
just
a
little
letter
that
is
meant
to
give
to
your
loved
ones
when
receiving
this
book,
and
it
says
which
gives
me
to
my
loved
ones.
I
have
prepared
this
keepsake
for
you
and
those
I
care
about.
As
my
survivors,
you
will
be
faced
with
many
decisions.
In
a
short
time,
I
have
recorded
information
that
I
hope
will
relieve
you
as
much
anxiety,
grief
and
expense
as
possible.
At
the
time
of
my
passing,
you
will
find
a
listing
of
my
family
and
friends,
a
brief
overview
of
my
life
and
my
personal
memories.
B
This
information
should
aid
in
the
preparation
of
any
obituary
or
eulogy
or
other
remembrances,
and
serve
as
a
record
for
family,
genealogy
and
history.
My
vital
statistics,
personal
information
choices
for
funeral
services,
cemetery
preferences
and
other
information
are
included
to
help
you
in
planning
the
details
of
my
service.
I
have
indicated
my
wishes
for
your
peace
of
mind
as
well
as
my
own.
By
honoring.
These
wishes
thoughts
and
memories.
You
will
be
able
to
celebrate
our
time
together,
leaving
you
with
an
unforgettable
impression
of
my
life
and
then
you'll
want
to
sign
this.
B
So
this
is
a
little
homework
for
you.
I
think
that
if
you
can
write
it
in
your
own,
handwriting
is
even
more
special.
If
any
of
you
have
ever
experienced
somebody
close
to
you,
that's
passed
away
and
then
later
found
a
card
with
their
handwriting.
It's
so
touching
happened
to
me.
My
dad
died
three
years
ago,
and
shortly
after
that,
I
found
this
beautiful
card,
and
it
touched
me:
I
have
a
co-worker
that
has
a
really
neat
bracelet.
Her
daughter
gave
it
to
her
for
Mother's
Day
last
year
and
it's
actually
her
own
mother's
handwriting.
B
The
first
part
to
get
started
is
your
personal
information
or
vital
statistics.
This
information
is
necessary
to
file
a
death
certificate.
Any
of
you
that
had
to
deal
with
collecting
monies
and
getting
death
certificates
know
how
important
it
is.
You
can't
collect
hardly
anything
in
way
of
benefits
unless
you
have
a
death
certificate,
so
we
want
to
make
sure
that
this
information
is
accurate.
B
As
I
told
you
when
I
went
in
with
my
mother
to
make
the
arrangements
I
couldn't
remember
my
grandmother's
mother's
maiden
name
and
it's
those
little
details
that
can
be
confusing
right
now.
You
know
that
information.
You
know
yourself
better
than
anybody
else,
so
you
can
put
that
information
down
and
it
can
be
accurate.
B
You
can
record
information
about
your
education,
your
marital
status,
your
medical
history.
The
next
page
is
information.
You
can
record
for
your
military
information.
Are
there
any
veterans
in
the
room?
Quite
a
few
Wow.
First
of
all,
thank
you
for
your
service.
I,
truly
appreciate
my
freedom
and
with
Memorial
Day.
Coming
up.
It's
a
grand
way
to
celebrate
all
of
your
service.
B
There
is
a
website
if
you
do
not
know
where
your
separation
papers
are,
is
called
dd-214
comm,
so
they
have
a
lot
of
information
as
to
how
to
obtain
those
documents.
If
you
need
to
this
next
section
is
how
do
you
want
to
be
remembered?
That's
where
we
get
into
the
details
of
your
service.
Every
one
of
you
is
unique:
it's
not
like
it
was
10
years
ago
or
20
years
ago.
What
everybody's
funeral
look
the
same.
B
B
My
father
was
cremated
and
we
had
a
beautiful
service
for
him.
He
loved
his
Irish
heritage.
So
when
people
came
in,
they
had
a
little
shamrock
sticker
that
they
put
on
their
lapel.
They
wrote
a
little
message
in
a
memory
in
a
memory
book.
The
service
itself
had
a
video
of
all
his
favorite
music,
which
included
like
Otis,
Redding
and
non-traditional
type
music
and
at
the
end,
my
uncle
his
brother,
who
gave
the
eulogy
said
that
was
the
best
funeral
ever
and
it
was
not
anything
grand.
B
It
was
considered
simple,
but
it
was
really
perfect
for
who
he
was
that's
what
we
want
to
create.
We
want
this
to
be
unique
to
you
now,
selfishly
this
isn't
really
for
you,
it's
for
your
family.
So
when
you
think
of
that
I
often
sit
down
with
couples
and
the
man
will
say
well,
I,
don't
care
just
roll
me
in
a
sheet
and
throw
me
in
the
ditch
and
even
though
the
wife
might
be
going
yeah.
B
Let's
do
that
really
your
children,
your
people
that
are
left
behind
are
the
people
that
are
going
to
be
needing
that
that
gathering
that
time
for
people
to
come
together
and
share
stories
and
talk
about
you
so
think
about
that,
you
can
pick
out
your
own
pallbearers
I
would
pencil
them
in
because
sometimes
things
change
over
time
and
people
pass
away
before
you
expect
them
to.
You
can
pick
out
your
clothing.
B
The
next
page
is
a
place
for
you
to
record
your
obituary,
just
follow
it.
We're
actually
going
to
be
having
an
obituary
workshop,
because
I
think
it's
something,
and
it
was
hard
for
me
when
my
dad
died
too
come
up
with
the
obituary.
We
hadn't
done
that
ahead
of
time
and
so
going
back.
What
year
did
he
do
this?
And
what
time
did
this
happen
and
what
was
important
so
write
down
those
details?
B
If
you're,
not
a
writer,
you
think
I
don't
want
to
be
all
flowery
just
write
down
pertinent
information
that
would
be
helpful
in
the
obituary
and
by
the
way
the
obituary
is
pretty
expensive.
These
days.
If
you
look
in
the
paper,
it's
about
1095,
a
line,
and
so
when
you
look
at
an
obituary,
that's
about
like
this
you're
talking
over
thousands
of
dollars
and
you
know
I
think
we're
Hall
in
Minnesota.
Do
you
all
know
who
Olli
and
Lena
are
yeah.
C
B
Did
you
know
poor
Olli
died,
he
did
and
poor
Lena
she
had
to
go
and
talk
to
that
funeral
director
and
she
had
to
make
all
these
overwhelming
decisions,
and
so
the
funeral
director
said
you
know
Lena
that
obituary
is
pretty
expensive,
but
you
get
five
free
words
to
Lena,
said:
okay
put,
Oly
died
and
the
funeral
director
said
well.
Lena
seemed
a
little
bit
something
nice
about
Olli.
You
have
three
more
words.
She
says:
okay,
Olli
died
both
for
sale.
B
The
next
page
is
just
for
you
to
record
a
little
bit
of
an
abbreviated
family
tree
you're
not
going
to
get
into
a
lot
of
detail,
but
did
you
know
the
second
most
Google
thing
on
the
Internet
is
genealogy.
My
daughter
just
did
the
DNA
test.
Did
you
mid?
Do
that?
It's
really
interesting
and
she
is
pretty
much
what
we
thought
she
was,
which
was
good,
but
you
know
it.
Can.
It
can
surprise
you,
but
it
was
really
fascinating
and
they
give
you
this
whole
report
and
they
have
photos
even
so.
B
They've
collected
photos
from
your
family
over
the
years.
It's
super
interesting
but
penny.
It
was
when
she
showed
me
like
some
of
my
grandmother's,
mother
and
father
and
where
they
came
from
and
even
photos
and
I,
remember
the
photos
of
my
great-grandmother's,
so
it
is
pretty
accurate.
So
it's
very
interesting
if
you
haven't
looked
into
it.
The
next
few
pages
are
just
areas.
It
says
your
children,
your
friends
and
relatives,
your
siblings
others
who
might
arish.
This
is
just
a
list
of
people
that
you
would
want
notified
when
you
pass
away.
B
I
think
we've
all
experienced
a
time
when
someone
has
passed
away
and
we
didn't
know
about
it
and
maybe
didn't
find
out
about
it
for
a
long
time
and
we
felt
really
bad
and
that
happens
more
than
it
should.
But
you
know
when
you're
going
through
that
time,
there's
so
much
going
on.
So
if
you
can
make
a
list-
and
you
know
most
people
will
know
your
immediate
family,
but
it's
your
friends.
B
It's
the
people
that
you
socialize
with
my
kids
know
a
lot
of
my
friends
first
names
but
I,
don't
know
that
they
know
how
to
get
ahold
of
them
or
their
last
name
with
social
media.
Now
that
has
really
helped
things
with
Facebook
and
being
able
to
put
information
out.
That
certainly
does
help,
but
you
want
to
make
sure
you
record
the
people
that
are
important
to
you,
that
you
want
notified.
B
The
next
page
is
just
for
you
to
record
important
documents
now,
every
year
there
are
millions
of
dollars
lost
in
benefits,
because
people
don't
know
about
them
or
they
don't
have
the
proper
information
to
collect
them.
So
you
don't
need
to
put
sensitive
information
like
account
numbers
or
anything
like
that,
but
you
do
want
to
put
what
you
have
you
have
a
will.
Is
what
attorney
do
you
use?
Do
you
have
an
IRA?
Do
you
have
a
401
K
so
that
your
family,
you
know
a
lot
of
you.
I
fear,
there's
couples
in
here.
B
B
And
then
the
last
couple
pages,
17
and
18
are
my
favorites,
it's
personal
remembrances
of
my
life
with
you
and
a
few
of
my
favorite
things.
So
these
are
memories
on
this
side.
You
know
what
was
your
favorite
childhood
memory?
Well,
you
know
what,
if
you
can
live
your
life
over
again?
What
would
you
do?
B
Sometimes,
when
you
go
to
a
funeral,
you
come
home
and
you
say:
oh,
we
we've
got
to
get
this
stuff
in
order
and
that's
you
know,
you
feel
it
because
you
see
what
just
happened
and
then
that
kind
of
ways
and
the
urgency
goes
away
and
you
go
on
and
you're
still
living.
So
that's
alright,
but
you
do
want
to
take
some
time
and
put
some
of
this
information
down.
It
was
wonderful.
I
went
to
talk
with
my
mother
and
I
had
my
book
and,
and
she
was
more
than
willing
to
talk
about
it.
B
My
sister,
however,
didn't
want
to
talk
about
it.
Well,
do
you
have
to
do
that
now?
Well,
do
we
want
to
do
it
after
she
died,
and
you
know
she
said,
oh
sure,
because
I
do
this,
she'll
be
fine
with
whatever
you
do,
but
I'm
not
I
want
to
know
who
she
you
know
what
was
special
to
her.
The
other
thing
is
your
favorite
things
like
your
favorite
flower,
your
favorite
music,
your
favorite
scripture
that
all
helps
in
creating
that
wonderful
celebration
of
your
life.
B
I
know
my
mom's
favorite
flowers
of
Daisy,
so
that
will
definitely
be
part
of
her
service.
I
know
her
favorite
hymns
I
knew
she
loved
gospel,
music,
but
I
didn't
know
which
one
specifically
spoke
more
to
her.
I.
Have
that
now
so
I'm
so
happy
that
I
did
that
and
the
last
page
is
just
for
you.
If
you
want
certain
photos
or
certain
mementos
that
you
want
to
add,
you
can
stick
them
there.
The
back
of
the
book
says
like
the
Golden
Sun
that
warms
everything
in
its
path:
kindred
hearts
warm
our
souls.
B
So
this
is
your
homework.
It
is
not
meant
to
Gold
the
poem
and
just
fill
it
out
cover
to
cover.
You
take
some
thought,
so
you
might
put
it
by
your
bedside.
You
might
just
go
back
to
it.
You
might
talk
with
each
other
and
be
surprised
at
what
you
might
find
out,
but
whatever
you
do
take
the
first
step
to
record
this.
Your
family
will
greatly
appreciate
it.
There's
never
been
anybody
that
came
into
the
funeral
home
and
said
gee
I'm
so
mad
that
my
parents
prearranged
their
funerals.
B
They
are
so
thankful
and
that's
why
we
call
it
a
gift
of
love,
because
it
is
your
final
gift
of
love
to
your
family
to
take
that
burden
off
them
both
emotionally
and
financially.
You
can't
take
the
hurt
away,
of
course,
but
all
that
other
stuff
and
stuff
that
is
really
unnecessary
and
that
time
is
really
meant
to
be
spent
with
family
members
and
friends
and
people
that
can
support
one
another.
B
There
are
a
couple
reasons
you
can
look
in
here:
there's
all
kinds
of
literature,
but
the
number
one
reason
that
people
do
that
it's
on
the
back
of
this
sheet
and
there's
just
really
seven
substantial
benefits
and
peace
of
mind,
knowing
that
your
arrangements
are
taken,
care
of
and
they're
tucked
away,
and
your
family
doesn't
have
to
worry
about
that
number
two
is
dignity
and
control
you
get
to
make
the
decisions.
You
pick
out
the
type
of
merchandise
you
pick
out
whether
you
want
to
be
cremated
or
not
inflation-proof
guarantee.
B
We
talked
about
that
a
little
bit
once
you
pay
for
your
Arrangements
ahead
of
time.
The
funeral
services
and
merchandise
are
guaranteed,
it's
easy
to
do.
If
you
have
a
preference
for
a
funeral
home
call
them,
they
will
gladly
sit
down
with
you
at
no
costs
and
help
you
create
a
plan,
and
it's
really
painless.
B
We
are
a
very
consumer
friendly
state,
so
we
are
governed
on
the
funeral
home
side
by
the
Federal
Trade
Commission
and
then
on
the
prearrangement
side,
where
we're
using
insurance
policies,
the
Department
of
Commerce-
and
they
say
that
once
you
pay
for
your
funeral
you're
not
going
to
pay
the
funeral
home,
because
we
want
to
make
sure
that
money
is
going
to
be
there
so
that
money
is
put
into
an
outside
policy.
And
it's
going
to
be
there
because
it's
put
into
an
irrevocable
trust.
It
can't
be
cashed
in
by
anybody.
B
Even
if
you
have
to
go
on
medical
assistance
in
a
nursing
home.
This
money
is
protected
because
it
is
properly
structured
with
medical
assistance
guidelines
and
then
there
is
no
probate
or
delay
when
the
death
occurs.
The
funeral
home
simply
puts
a
claim
in
for
the
funds
to
be
paid
directly.
So
if
you
remember
I
said
awhile
ago,
when
you
have
to
sit
down
and
make
arrangements
and
it
has
to
be
paid
for,
if
there's
been
arrangements
made
and
the
policies
in
place,
the
family
does
not
have
to
worry
about
it.
B
The
funeral
home
takes
care
of
that
and
they
can
help
take
care
of
paying
those
third
party.
People
as
well
I
want
to
talk
just
a
little
bit
about
cremation
anybody
interested
in
using
cremation
as
a
final
disposition.
A
couple
of
you
so
with
cremation.
You
want
to
think
about
that,
because
I
often
hear
people
say
I
just
want
to
be
cremated.
Well,
cremation
is
really
a
form
of
final
disposition.
Just
like
embalming
and
burying
a
body
is
so
with
cremation
there's
so
many
more
decisions.
You
have
a
little
pamphlet
in
your
in
your
packet.
B
That
gives
you
a
quick
overview,
but
with
cremation
you
can
have
a
traditional
service,
the
casket,
a
visitation
of
viewing
and
then,
instead
of
going
to
the
cemetery
after
the
service
you're
taking
to
the
Crematory.
So
that's
one
way.
Some
people
choose
that
others
choose
a
cremation
to
take
place
first
and
then
have
an
urn
as
a
church
in
a
memorial
service
or
at
a
chapel,
and
with
that
you
can
have
a
viewing.
You
can
have
some
your
family
come
and
have
a
private
viewing.
So
there's
a
time
to
say
goodbye.
B
Sometimes
we
don't
know
if
that's
going
to
be
necessary.
I'll
give
you
two
scenarios.
When
my
father-in-law
died
four
years
ago,
he
had
been
ill.
We
knew
he
was
dying.
We
he
was
in
the
hospital.
We
went
to
see
him
every
day,
the
day
that
he
died.
We
had
just
been
up
to
see
him,
so
we
were
called
back
to
the
hospitals
to
tear
goodbyes.
None
of
our
family
felt
that
we
needed
that
private
viewing,
because
we
kind
of
had
that
in
the
hospital,
but
fast
forward.
B
One
year
later
to
the
day
my
dad
died
and
he
died
in
South
Dakota.
He
died.
The
end
of
February
and
I
had
last
seen
him
at
Christmas,
so
it
was
sudden
and
we
had
an
opportunity
to
have
a
private
viewing
before
the
cremation
and
I
was
extremely
thankful.
That
meant
so
much
to
my
family,
so
you
just
don't
know
what
the
circumstances
are
going
to
be.
B
You
can
also
have
your
cremation
take
place
when
you
want
your
service
I'm.
Sorry,
your
cremation
here
memorial
service
can
be
whenever
you
would
like
one
thing,
I
say
about
cremation.
Is
that
it
affords
you,
flexibility,
don't
have
to
make
those
decisions
in
two
or
three
days
that
can
be
made
over
time.
In
fact,
when
my
dad
passed
away,
I
think
that
we
had
his
service
about
a
month
later
we
had
his
burial
in
June.
I
will
say
it
also
promotes
procrastination.
B
So
have
a
plan,
especially
when
it
comes
to.
What
are
you
going
to
do
with
ashes?
I?
Have
this
conversation
sometimes
with
people,
and
they
say
well,
I
think
I'll
just
give
them
to
my
daughter,
well
Merry
Christmas.
What
is
she
going
to
do
with
that?
You
know
we're
going
to
hand
these
down.
So
do
your
family
a
favor
and
think
that,
through
all
the
way
to
the
end,
there's
a
lot
of
options,
there's
cemetery
options:
you
can
have
the
urn
buried
in
the
ground.
B
B
There
are
a
couple
different
there's,
a
newer
one.
We
all
know
the
cremation
by
high
heat
right.
That's
kind
of
what
we
think
of.
There
is
also
a
cremation
process
that
uses
a
chemical
to
sort
of
dissolve
everything
and
it's
it's
a
water
base,
so
it
doesn't,
it
doesn't
go
into
the
air
necessarily.
There
is
only
one
funeral
home
that
I'm
aware
of
that
offers
that
I'm
not
don't
have
a
lot
of
information
about
it,
but
basically
you
get
back
the
same
thing.
B
With
cremation,
basically,
it's
really
the
calcification,
the
bones
that
are
left
and
that's
put
through
a
pulverizing
process,
and
that's
really
what
you
get
back
and
it's
very
similar
to
the
water-based
cremation
and
as
far
as
cost
I
am
not
100%
sure
about
the
water
base.
I
think
it
might
be
a
little
bit
more
expensive,
but
if
you
look
at
a
simple
cremation,
where
there's
no
service
it's
about
$1,700
across
the
board,
it
could
be
a
little
bit
more
or
less
so.
Does
that
answer
your
question?
B
Amanda,
okay
and
then,
as
I
talked
about,
you
have
the
option
to
have
a
simple
cremation
where
there
are
no
services.
I
would
think
about
that,
though,
and
make
sure
you
still
have
a
plan.
Your
family
deserves
that
time.
I
have
a
girlfriend
who
I
grew
up
with
and
I
loved
her
mother
dearly
and
I
didn't
find
out
till
her
mother
that
her
mother
passed
away
telegin,
probably
a
month
or
so
later,
never
had
anything,
never
had
a
celebration
of
life
and
to
this
day,
and
that
was
probably
about
six
years
ago.
B
My
friend
still
has
a
really
hard
time.
If
you
don't
have
a
service
you're
still
going
to
get
one,
because
every
time
your
family
member
goes
to
the
grocery
store
or
every
time
they
go
to,
you
know
out
getting
gas
or
whatever,
and
they
run
into
somebody.
You
tell
the
story
again
and
again
and
again,
people
want
that
opportunity,
they're
declaring
today
Wednesday
right
so
think
back
a
year
ago,
he
had
nothing
in
place,
not
not
just
his
estate,
but
even
his
funeral
and
people
just
wanted
to
be
there.
B
They
wanted
a
place
to
go
to
mourn,
so
they
just
showed
up
at
his
Paisley
Park
and
did
their
own
thing,
and
that's
people
need
that.
It's
not
just
you
and
your
family.
You
affect
more
people
than
you
know
and
that
opportunity
to
have
a
service.
However,
that
looks
it's
so
important
for
the
healing
process.
We
believe
there
are
three
essential
elements.
One
is
a
gathering
for
you
to
open
it
up
to
with
a
public
and
have
people
to
come
and
give
love
and
support,
share
stories.
B
The
service
to
reflect
upon
a
life
that's
been
lived
and
then
a
procession
to
a
final
resting
place
and,
as
I
said,
that
can
look
different
for
everybody.
It
could
be
the
cemetery,
it
could
be
your
lake
home,
it
could
be
another
place,
and
but
those
are
three
elements
that
we
feel
are
very
essential
in
helping
aid
the
healing
process,
we
have
gone
over
a
lot
of
information.
I
did
initially
have
some
questions
up
here,
I'm
going
to
make
sure
we've
kind
of
covered,
all
of
that
what's
involved
in
making
a
funeral
plan.
B
B
B
B
So
once
a
loved
one
comes
into
our
care,
they
never
leave
our
care.
So
those
are
kind
of
important
questions
to
ask
when
you're
doing
your
research,
what
if
I
create
a
plan
and
I
pay
for
it
and
then
I
decide
to
move
to
Florida
and
retire?
What
happens
is
this
money
that
set-aside
is
yours
and
it's
used
to
pay
for
your
funeral
at
your
choice
of
provider,
we
have
to
write
in
the
policy.
The
first
beneficiary
is
to
any
funeral
home,
as
your
interest
appears.
B
So
if
you
move
to
Florida,
you
decide
to
retire
and
pass
away
down
there
and
have
everything
there
that
money
is
just
transferred.
The
guarantee
doesn't
transfer
because
the
guarantee
is
offered
through
our
funeral
home,
but
100%
of
the
money
plus
any
growth.
Is
yours
and
that's
not
the
case
in
all
states.
I'll
tell
you,
California
have
had
people
transfer
in,
they
may
be
paid
$1,000
for
a
simple
cremation
20
years
ago,
and
that
may
be
has
grown
quite
a
bit,
but
that's
all
they
get.
B
So
it's
unfortunate
again,
Minnesota
really
looks
out
for
their
consumers.
Can
I
change
my
plan?
You
know
if
you
make
your
plan
now
things
change
over
time
right
and
the
answer
is
yes.
What
I
recommend
is
once
you
put
a
plan
together,
revisit
it
every
five
years
things
change.
It
might
not
be
how
you
remembered
it
refresh
your
memory.
If
you
want
to
make
changes,
we
can
do
that
and
record
those
in
a
confidential
file
that
told
at
the
funeral
home.
C
B
Can
just
cross
that
out
so
we're
going
to
will
use
those
actually
I
have
a
door
couple
door
prizes
so
we'll
just
use
that
we
have
a
survey
in
there
and
I
do
like
your
feedback.
So
I
will
ask
that
you'll
complete
the
survey
and
then,
if
you
would
like
more
information,
really
you
would
like
somebody
to
contact.
You
then
indicate
that
otherwise
I'll
have
you
just
register
with
those
slips
for
the
door
prize.
Yes,
sir.
E
B
B
B
Whatever
so
that
there's
veterans
benefits
and
their
Social
Security
benefits
as
far
as
veteran
benefits,
the
funeral
home
applies
for
any
that
you
may
qualify
for
for
Social
Security
benefits.
There
is
one
time
death
benefit
paid
to
a
surviving
spouse.
So
that
means,
if
you're
a
couple
and
one
of
you
pass
away,
they're
going
to
pay
two
hundred
fifty
five
dollars
to
the
survivor
which
might
pay
for
a
short
obituary.
B
E
B
Good
point
she
mentioned
that,
if
you
put
information
on
the
computer
in
especially
important
information,
make
sure
people
have
what
they
need
to
get
access
to
it
in
way
of
passwords.
Social
media
is
the
same
way
and
I
know
that
something
is
pretty
new
I'm.
Not
an
expert
on
that.
So
I
can't
speak
to
that.
But
that's
a
good
point
make
sure
that
people
have
access
to
it
years
ago.
B
B
The
wife
has
some
benefits
as
well,
so
if
the
husband,
if
you
decide
to
go
to
Fort
Snelling,
for
instance,
you
both
get
a
great
space,
both
get
a
marker,
a
grave
liner,
the
flag
for
the
veteran.
So
there
are
some
benefits
and
that
can
be
a
pretty
significant
savings.
It's
about
probably
about
a
three
or
four
thousand
dollar
savings.
B
When
you,
when
you
look
at
that
good
question,
we
are
going
to
have
at
our
Nokomis
Park
locations
in
May,
a
seminar
that
addresses
veterans
benefits
and
funeral
pre-planning,
and
you
can
find
that
information
on
our
website
in
its
Washburn
McCreevy,
MCR
eav.
Why
comm?
We
have
all
of
our
community
events
on
there
since
I've
had
so
many
questions
about
veterans
benefits.
Any
other
questions
before
we
close.
B
To
$1
good
question:
we
have
16
locations,
you
can
go
to
any
of
the
locations
if
you'd
prefer
to
have
somebody
to
come
to
your
home.
They
can
do
that
as
well.
So,
whatever
your
whatever
is
most
comfortable
for
you,
it's
nice
to
go
to
the
funeral
chapel.
If
it's
going
to
be
one
that
you
think
you
might
be
using,
you
can
look
at
the
space
you
can
look
at
caskets
or
urns
or
that
sort
of
thing.
So
good
question.
Yes,
sir!
So.
E
B
B
A
good
question
as
well,
so
what
he
mentioned
is
you
can
pick
and
choose
what
you
want
and
that's
exactly
what
happens
when
you
meet
with
a
prearrangement
specialist,
you
go
through
everything
all
of
your
out-of-pocket
expenses.
Even
though
cemetery
newspaper
cost
everything,
so
you
have
a
total
itemization
of
what
that
looks
like
and
again,
if
you
say,
maybe
I
don't
want
this
and
I
do
want
that.
You
can
have
that
choice,
and
some
of
it
may
be
just
that.
B
D
B
You
been
to
a
cemetery
lately.
Is
there
anything
greener
than
a
cemetery
I'm
just
kidding?
We
do
have
the
green
and
it's
more
environmental
friendly.
There
are
some
I
think
I
know
of
at
least
one
I
think
it's
Mendota
Heights,
it's
not
one
that
we
own,
but
there
are
those
greens
cemeteries
available.
B
We
also
do
offer
merchandise,
that's
conducive
to
green
burial,
and
that
would
be
we
have
a
natural
casket
that
has
straw
on
the
inside
and
then
it
can
be
placed
in
the
ground
on
that
I
want
to
say
one
of
the
common
questions
is
do
I.
Is
it
a
state
law
that
I
need
a
vault
at
a
cemetery?
It
is
not.
Those
are
cemetery,
rules
and
regulations,
and
the
reason
that
most
cemeteries
today
require
a
vault
is
because
of
the
integrity
of
the
cemetery.
B
If
you
did
not
have
something
to
support
the
ground,
you're
going
to
have
a
lot
of
thinking
graves
and
if
you
go
to
old
church
cemeteries,
you'll
see
what
that
looks
like.
So
that's
really
the
only
reason.
The
biggest
reason
I
will
say
that
they
require
that
a
minimum
is
a
concrete
grave
liner.
It
doesn't
feel,
but
one
way
that
you
can
get
around
some
people
want
to
use,
maybe
a
private
cemetery,
but
want
more
of
a
green
burial.
B
D
C
E
B
B
They
provide
no,
they
provide
the
free,
but
I
guess
the
thing
that
fortunately
provides
at
no
cost
to.
You
is
a
grave
liner
again
it's
because
they
want
to
protect
the
cemetery.
You
have
the
option
to
upgrade
to
a
vault
and
fortune
or
the
government
will
give
you
a
credit
toward
that
vault
purchase.
But
it
is
a
two
piece,
concrete
box
and
it
has
holes
in
the
bottom.
B
It
allows
water
to
come
in
and
out
just
because
then
it
helps
to
keep
the
grave
liner
from
cracking
and
breaking,
and
then
it
has
the
lid
that
just
sets
on
top,
and
so
that's
another
thing.
When
you
look
at
your
options,
you
want
to
know
you
know
an
education
about
the
merchandise
that
you're
getting.