Money. The Elephant in the Room

Why is a funeral like a wedding?

Frankly, it can cost a lot of money.

Imagine for a minute that your daughter comes home one day and says to you that she is going to get married in 48 hours.  Within that 48 hours, you find a wedding chapel, engage clergy, buy appropriate clothing, hire a caterer and musicians, find a florist and somehow find a way to get all of your out of town guests into town - without having prepared a wedding list.  And then the happy couple is able to go on a proper honeymoon and move into a house.  And it doesn't set you back financially!

Now imagine that your daughter comes home one day and finds you lying on the floor, dead of a heart attack (God forbid!).  Within 48 hours, she has to secure a funeral home, a chapel for the service, engage clergy, find appropriate clothing for her and you, find a caterer for the reception following the service, find a florist if that is part of your tradition and somehow find a way to get all of your out of town family and friends into town without having prepared a proper list.  And then she has to go to the funeral home and purchase a casket, funeral plan and a cemetery plot, since she doesn't know if you want to be buried or cremated.  And then the kindly funeral director informs her that all expenses must be paid before the service as this is the standard policy at every funeral home in the country.

Put this way, who in their right mind would do this?  When we plan ahead, we can amortize these costs over years so that the financial shock of a funeral can be absorbed by the ones responsible for making the decisions in the first place.  We can spare our families the financial and emotional pain of these decision by making them - and paying for them - in advance.  We then lock in these decisions and spare them the increasing costs of funerals and burial plots.

Here in Dallas at Sparkman Hillcrest, we specialize in pre-arrangements.  Allow me to give you and your family the peace of mind that all of you deserve and so need.  Just contact me at the number below or email me so that we can remove the financial elephant from the room.

And remember: always walk on the bright side of life.

Jordan Parr
Family Service Director
Sparkman Hillcrest Funeral Home
Dallas, TX
214.734.0204
jordan.parr@dignitymemorial.com