As funeral professionals, we’ve seen a lot of things go wrong for families when their loved one hasn’t planned out their wishes in advance. Here are just a few scenarios:
- Mom selected an attorney and wrote her will and advance medical directives, but forgot to tell anyone the attorney’s name. Her children had to call all over town until they finally tracked down the right office.
- Music-lover Dawn was always telling her sisters what song she wanted played at her funeral. Unfortunately she changed her mind every few months, and when she passed neither of them could agree on her last request.
- Dad put all of his important papers in a safety deposit box, but didn’t authorize anyone else to access the box. It was sealed by the bank until his estate was finalized and the will wasn’t able to be read for months after his death.
- Grandma was a saver and kept spare keys to everything, but unfortunately none of them were labeled. On the bright side, the scavenger hunt did give the grandkids something to do…
- Aunt Gina promised her jewelry to more than one family member, but didn’t put any of those instructions in writing.
- Grandpa told everyone all about his life insurance policy from the plant, but he must have put the certificate in a very secure place because his daughters never did find it.
Advance planning can’t prevent every headache. But, when one of our helpful preplanning associates walks you through the process, you will be amazed at how easy it is to organize your important documents and final wishes, giving your family a clear plan to follow, and peace of mind.
