One day your funeral will be among the funerals conducted at funeral homes in Sterling Heights, MI. You may not want to think about your death now but avoiding thinking about it doesn’t mean it won’t happen eventually. When you do die, what do you want to happen?

Planning for your death now lets you put all the details about your funeral in place so that your wishes are known and so that your loved ones are not burdened with having trying to figure out what you would have wanted while they are in the beginning phases of accepting and processing your death.

In planning for your death now, there are several things you need to consider about what happens after you die.

One thing you need to consider is whether you want to be buried underground or you want to be cremated. If you want to be buried underground, what cemetery or graveyard do you want to be buried in? Do you already have a funeral plot? Will you purchase or secure (family and church funeral plots are usually free, if there’s space, to members) one before you die or will your family have to do that after you die?

What kind of casket do you want to be buried in? The funeral home has many styles to choose from and the funeral director will be happy to go over the choices they have available. It’s important to remember, as well, that most cemeteries and graveyards now require vaults for casket burials. The burial vaults help stabilize the cemetery or graveyard grounds to withstand the weight of the heavy equipment required for digging graves and doing maintenance.

Do you want a funeral service or a graveside service? If you want a funeral service, what do you want included in it? Are there certain people that you want to participate in the service? Do you have a certain clergy member that you would like to officiate the service? Are there certain readings, scriptures, and songs that you would like played at your funeral service?

If you want a graveside service, what do you want it to include? Who should perform it?

If you’re a military veteran, do you want military honors at your funeral? The funeral home will coordinate this, but you should have your DD-214 included with your important papers because the funeral home will need a copy of that in order to coordinate military honors.

What kind of grave marker do you want? If you’re entitled to military honors, they will provide a gravestone or a grave market, but your family will be responsible for having it set at your grave.

If you want to be cremated, do you want a direct cremation (no services before you’re cremated) or an indirect cremations (services are held before you are cremated)?

If you want a funeral service before or a memorial service after your cremation, you should think about the details of the kind of service that you want.

What do you want done with your cremation remains? Many people would like to have a portion of their cremation remains scattered in a place that’s special or sentimental to them. The remaining cremation remains may be placed in an urn (the funeral home has many different styles to choose from) and either kept by your family or inurned in a columbarium niche that has a grave market or gravestone placed in front of it that identifies you.

For more information about planning funerals at funeral homes in Mount Sterling Heights,, MI, our compassionate and experienced staff at Lee-Ellena Funeral Home can help.