Obituaries are notices placed by surviving family members to advise other family members and friends of a death. Historically, these notices have been placed in the newspaper.  In more recent years, obituary notices have been appearing online and funeral home websites.  Obituaries not only announce a death but they also give tribute to a person’s…

In the State of Michigan, it is the funeral director’s responsibility is to ascertain that the death certificate is properly filed with the county clerk in which the death has occurred. The funeral director gleans the information needed for the death certificate from the family. This information includes the legal full name of the deceased,…

Michigan law requires that a cremation must be authorized by a legal next of kin. Generally, the next of kin is easily identifiable.  The next of kin is the surviving person or persons listed in the following order: 1) Spouse; 2) Children; 3) Grandchildren and thereafter the issue of; 4) parents; 5) Siblings; 6) Nieces…

When selecting cremation, many families ask us if they must buy an urn.  Urns are not required by law.  The purchase of an urn is a decision each family can make on their own, however it may be dictated by the families plans for the cremated remains. Urns are made of wood, metal and marble. …

It used to be that when a loved one died, the family would contact the undertaker and he would go to the home to embalm the body and place it in a casket. The body would be viewed in the parlor of the family home.   Some families didn’t like having the deceased loved one in…

One of the hallmarks of funeral service has been professional service vehicles.  In the past funeral coaches (sometimes known as hearses), limousines and luxury sedans have been a part of the fleet of vehicles owned by funeral homes. Funeral coaches (hearses) have been used to transport the casket to the church and cemetery. Limousines, which…

In the State of Michigan, there is a law known as the “anti-combo” law. This law prevents funeral homes and cemeteries from being owned by the same company in the same market.  The purpose of this law is to prevent any entity from gaining a monopoly in the death care industry in any given market.…

A visitation provides an opportunity for family members to be together in a neutral place, where they can share memories of their loved one. It also provides an opportunity for friends and extended family members to offer expressions of sympathy to the family in a controlled setting.  Without this opportunity, they need to accept condolences…

Have you noticed that more and more people are choosing to be cremated rather than buried?  Here is some information about that to confirm your observations. Cremation data usually runs about 2 years in arrears. The cremation rate in the United State in 2017 was 54%, but expected to rise to 79.1% by 2035. The…

Many funeral homes have subscribed to having an aggressive pre-arrangement program. These programs are designed to increase call volume and gain market share through the sale of pre-paid funeral plans and often feature consistent direct mail contact, telemarketers, and sales people who are commissioned. Many times the sales person will suggest easy ways to get…