Planning a Funeral

The first step in planning a funeral is determining what a funeral means to you and your family. For some, this implies a highly ritualized church service complete with a burial or entombment at a cemetery. For others, it may mean a less organized celebration of life with friends and family held at a location that may hold special meaning to your loved one such as a favorite park or a family home. Regardless of the term used: funeral, memorial service, celebration of life or no services at all, it is important to communicate with your family to make sure the type of services selected fit the needs of your family from an emotional and financial point of view.

The second step in planning a funeral is the decision-making process. Once the determination has been made to move forward with a funeral service there are several decisions that need to be made:

A.  Is it your loved one’s wish to be buried/entombed in a casket or cremated? If cremation, are the cremated remains going to be buried, scattered, or kept at home?

B.  Will there be a funeral service from a church, the funeral home, or another location special to your family? Will there be a minister involved in the planning process or is it more important to provide a time for friends and family to gather and grieve together without a formal service.
C.  If there is a formal service scheduled, will there be a luncheon or dinner to follow for friends and family to share a meal together? If yes, where will it be held? A banquet facility? Local Park shelter? The family home?
D.  What is the available budget for funeral services? Is there a life insurance policy to pay for services or are there enough funds available in savings or other investments to pay for services? Many times, when people think about a funeral, they focus on the bigger items like caskets, urns, and monuments at the cemetery. Smaller items such as flowers, death certificates, newspaper obituaries, and cemetery expenses should not be overlooked and can all add up to a significant expense to your family.

The last step in the funeral planning process is to communicate with your family. If you have children, discuss your intentions for services with them. Do the services you have selected meet their needs to help them in their grief process? Are there other family members who wish to be a part of the decision process to assist you? The communication process may begin long before a death occurs and may be done informally with family members by sharing your wishes or in a more formal way by sitting down and discussing options with a funeral service professional. Leaving your funeral wishes on file with your local funeral director can lighten the burden of the decision-making process for your friends and family who have survived you. Whether it be an at-need situation where a death has occurred or a pre-need situation where you simply want your wishes recorded, a funeral service professional will be able to provide numerous options to meet your family’s emotional and financial needs during the funeral process.

Aaron W. Ritchay

Funeral Director/ Licensed Insurance Intermediary/ Certified Crematory Operator

Aaron joined Shuda Funeral Home in November 2022 after 13 years working as a funeral director in the Wisconsin Rapids and Nekoosa area. He was born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin and graduated from Notre Dame Academy in 2003, Worsham College of Mortuary Science in March 2009 with an Associates of Applied Sciences and UW-Stevens Point with a B.S. in Business Administration. Aaron finished mortuary school at the top of his class and received awards for his academic and lab work in the fields of Business Law and Embalming. Aaron has also completed the necessary coursework and licensure requirements to become a licensed life insurance agent in the State of Wisconsin in order to better serve families with insurance needs. He recently completed the training and coursework to become a Certified Crematory Operator by the National Funeral Directors Association. Aaron married his wife Jacquelyn in 2013 and they have two children, Maxwell and Ava. During his free time, Aaron enjoys attending and watching Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Brewers games, hunting, fishing and spending time in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. 

Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated does not have any formal relationships or arrangements with the author. This blog should not be considered an endorsement of the products or services offered by this individual or his firm.