Planning Ahead

Why Pre-arrange?

Although there are many specific reasons, there seem to be three universal reasons why individuals decide to pre-arrange their funerals. First and most important, peace of mind. Second, the ability to ease the fiancial burden of their funeral arrangements for their loved ones. Thirdly, payment terms are available to help finance those arrangements.

Advanced funeral planning simply means that by planning now for your funeral, you can ensure that your personal customs, beliefs and preferences are reflected in your arrangements.

There are psychological and practical benefits of pre-arranging a funeral, both for the beneficiary and the surviving family members.

1. Pre-arrangement offers personal involvement and personal choices. There are no time pressures when one plans in advance, as there are when a family has to plan a funeral at the time of death. The beneficiary has time to think about the information and options presented and make informed, educated decisions. If a husband and wife are pre-arranging together, they have time to discuss their selections and choices and when death occurs, the survivor has the comfort of knowing that the deceased made his/her own decisions.

2. Pre-arrangement makes it easier for the family at the time of death. Instead of having to make decisions or accept full responsibility for funeral arrangements, the family KNOWS the deceased person made the decisions and they can feel comfort and reassurance in knowing they are following the deceased's wishes.

3. If you choose to pay for your funeral in advance, pre-arrangement means that the survivors do not have to worry about financial considerations. Instead of focusing on difficult and painful decisions, the survivors can focus on what is truly important - the loss of a loved one.

Peace of Mind

By far, the most significant reason why people pre-arrange their own funeral is what can be generally termed, "Peace of Mind". What does this mean? Essentially it incorporates a whole way of thinking that brings comfort and relief to people considering being in charge of their own funeral arrangements.

Death and separation from loved ones is an inevitable fact of life for each one of us. This, however, is the one thing that most people do not want to contemplate and in most cases, choose not to face. This is perfectly understandable, but by not facing the inevitable, thoughts and fears are merely pushed into the 'background', often to resurface at a later date. By dealing with fears openly and directly, people are able to lay to rest fear of death, of separation, of the unknown. Over and over again, people have expressed to us the enormous relief they feel once they have made arrangements.

Why do people make wills? Why do new parents name guardians for their children? Why do people make Living Wills or Health Care Directives? Why do people engage in Estate Planning? We do these things because we know that death is inevitable and we want to make life and death not only easier for us [Health Care Directives], but easier in terms of providing adequate protection and guidance for our loved ones, especially for those for whom we are responsible, such as children who are minors, spouses and elderly parents who may survive us.

When a couple makes pre-arrangements and one dies, the surviving partner is already familiar with our staff. When the survivor or other family member, or friend contacts us to inform us of the death, we are already familiar with the people concerned. Particularly, when it is not a spouse who makes the call, we are able to reassure that person that we at Ralph Schugar Chapel know what the deceased has selected for him or herself and that we will honor his or her wishes.

We make every effort to ensure that the staff person who originally met with the couple, is available to meet with the individuals to attend to their needs and wishes. This makes the meeting more personal and comfortable.

When an individual has pre-arranged, enormous pressure is removed from
the family members. They do not have to 'second guess' their loved one's wishes; the style of service has been chosen, the particular casket has been chosen, and even the shroud has been chosen. These are enormous decisions and they are decisions that have been made by the deceased. This means the survivor[s] is free to concentrate and focus on what is truly important - the loss of the loved one, as opposed to financial concerns and decisions. The survivors have the benefit and reassurance of knowing that the deceased made personal choices that has reduced their responsibility.

Pre-arrangement Eases the Burden

When an individual pre-arranges and pays for his or her funeral in advance, they are helping to ease the financial burden for their loved ones by setting monies aside to help pay for the funeral when it is needed.

Pre-arrangement is not merely a purchase, it is a financial investment. At Ralph Schugar Chapel, we place 100% of the monies paid into an interest bearing Irrevocable Trust Account.

Payment Terms

Many people choose to pay for their Pre-arranged Funeral in full at the time the Agreement is signed. Others choose to pay for it over a one year period with no interest charge. Still others choose to pay for it over any number of years, up to 10. This allows for the individual who is on a limited pension or budget to maintain the comfort and assurance of pre-arranging without financial hardship.

To find out more about pre-arranging and/or pre-funding a funeral, please call us at 412-621-8282 or, toll-free at 1-888-621-8282. Our licensed funeral directors are able to meet with you in our offices or in the privacy of your own home. If you would like to begin planning right away, please click below.

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