Most businesses provide convenient product and service information online, prices, and even post their general price list (GPL). This makes it easier to compare prices and service/merchandise options available locally. The Federal Trade Commission requires providers to give customers accurate and itemized price information and disclosures about other services, whether the customer asks in person or over the phone.
Sylvia Caye McNeal, age 62. Sunrise May 30, 1958 and Sunset October 8, 2020. PRIVATE Visitation 10:00 AM and Funeral Service 11:00 AM Thursday, October 29, 2020 at MARLAN J. GARY FUNERAL HOME, THE CHAPEL OF PEACE EAST, 5456 E. Livingston Ave. A MASK IS MANDATORY. Interment at Evergreen Burial Park. Please keep the family… Read complete obituary here.
Make an appointment to visit those funeral homes if possible. Bring a list of questions and a friend or family member less emotionally invested in the funeral than you are. Ask the funeral home for their General Price List and have the director review it with you. You might want to see an array of urns or caskets, ask about their billing policy, or meet the staff. Do you like the facility? Does the funeral director seem helpful and trustworthy, and answer questions willingly? Is he or she sensitive to your values and cultural or religious needs? Don’t select a funeral provider unless you feel completely comfortable with the director and the premises.
Jonathan V. Redmond, age 39. Sunrise January 6, 1981 and Sunset October 6, 2020. PUBLIC Visitation 8:00 AM A TICKET IS MANDATORY (PRIVATE) Visitation 10:00 AM and Funeral Service 11:00 AM Friday, October 30, 2020 at MARLAN J. GARY FUNERAL HOME, THE CHAPEL OF PEACE NORTH 2500 Cleveland Ave. A MASK IS MANDATORY. Interment at… Read complete obituary here. 

Arranging a funeral can seem like a daunting responsibility during a trying time, but it's an essential part of expressing grief. Contact a funeral director for guidance on setting up the funeral, completing legal documentation, and reserving space at a cemetery or crematorium. Personalize the service with music and decorations and you'll create a memorial service everyone will love.

Keeping in mind your personal priorities, do further research. Visit the funeral homes’ websites. Ask your family, friends and colleagues for their experiences with any of your choices. You could also check online customer review sites, or ask your local Funeral Consumers Alliance if they have received any complaints about any of them. Then focus your attention on two or three of the most promising choices.
Sylvia Caye McNeal, age 62. Sunrise May 30, 1958 and Sunset October 8, 2020. PRIVATE Visitation 10:00 AM and Funeral Service 11:00 AM Thursday, October 29, 2020 at MARLAN J. GARY FUNERAL HOME, THE CHAPEL OF PEACE EAST, 5456 E. Livingston Ave. A MASK IS MANDATORY. Interment at Evergreen Burial Park. Please keep the family… Read complete obituary here.
You should also discuss with your provider any religious or cultural preferences that you would like honored. For example, if you desire a secular or non-religious funeral or memorial service, you might like to use the services of a funeral celebrant, which some funeral homes now have on their staffs. Many funeral homes also have experience serving families from diverse cultural backgrounds with their own funeral rites, rituals, and customs.
We strive to be professional, courteous, understanding, and above all, compassionate in our service. When selecting a funeral service, we suggest to our families the three most important items to remember: 1. Every funeral is a dignified funeral; 2. Stay in a price category that you can afford and most importantly, 3. Whoever is paying for the funeral, such as a surviving spouse, they need to maintain their same standard of living or better.
For example, you can arrange a "traditional" funeral service that includes a wake/visitation beforehand with the embalmed body in an open casket even if you desire cremation of the deceased as the form of final disposition. Likewise, some families choose to cremate the unembalmed deceased without a service beforehand but hold a memorial service afterward with or without the inurned remains present.

Please join us for a FREE Pre-planning Web seminar on Thursday, November 5th at 10am. Learn how building a protection plan for your final wishes can shield your family from unnecessary emotional and financial burden. For our US Armed Forces veterans, we will be answering your questions and discussing the special funeral benefits that honor your service. After attending the seminar, we will gather your information to send you a free $20 gift card to a local grocery store. Reserve your spot today by clicking the following link: https://info.funeral-preplanning.com/104495-acep-webinar-11/5/20/schoedinger
Jonathan V. Redmond, age 39. Sunrise January 6, 1981 and Sunset October 6, 2020. PUBLIC Visitation 8:00 AM A TICKET IS MANDATORY (PRIVATE) Visitation 10:00 AM and Funeral Service 11:00 AM Friday, October 30, 2020 at MARLAN J. GARY FUNERAL HOME, THE CHAPEL OF PEACE NORTH 2500 Cleveland Ave. A MASK IS MANDATORY. Interment at… Read complete obituary here.
Finally, if you're planning your own funeral or memorial service in advance, you should inform your family about your end-of-life wishes to make sure they know what you want. Ideally, you should provide a written record rather than relying upon a family member's memory or keeping your plans on your computer, but even a single verbal conversation with your spouse or partner, child, sibling, or parent can prove better than nothing.
Comparison shopping doesn’t have to be too challenging, especially if it's done before the need for a funeral arises, says the Federal Trade Commission. “Thinking ahead can help you make informed and thoughtful decisions about funeral arrangements. It allows you to choose the specific items you want and need, and to compare the prices several funeral providers charge,” the FTC says.
When a friend or loved one dies or death is expected to take place soon, there are many details to take care of. This can be a very stressful time. You are grieving and may have assumed a great responsibility by taking on the task of making funeral arrangements for someone you care about. The following information will make this difficult time easier for you.
After determining the above, the next step is to research your service and provider options. If death has already occurred, you can contact a local funeral home, cremation provider or cemetery. Your chosen provider can help you arrange the funeral, memorial and/or interment service you desire; provide information about your various product and service options; explain the costs involved for merchandise, services, and other professional fees; and help you create an obituary or death notice and obtain official death certificates.

In a nutshell, this normally involves the deceased being taken into the care of a funeral director, the funeral director making necessary arrangements with relevant authorities, providing a hearse and limousine on the day of the funeral and transporting the deceased and their family, in black, to the place of the funeral, where a religious minister would oversee proceedings.
In the past few decades, funeral services have grown increasingly personalized, although many people still think of the "traditional funeral" as the norm. A personalized funeral or memorial service reflects the unique life and personality of the deceased individual, as viewed by the deceased and/or his or her surviving loved ones, and regardless of the form such services take.
Think about your expectations and then follow common sense. Does the facility match your needs? Is the staff compassionate? Can the funeral home accommodate your religious needs? Is it locally-owned or part of a large conglomerate? The most important reason for selection should be that the funeral home offers a meaningful and affordable tribute to your love one.  
Register the death certificate if you aren’t working with a director. After the passing has been legally documented by a medical professional, you can retrieve an official death certificate needed for burial or cremation. Normally, the funeral director handles the paperwork. When doing it yourself, contact your the registrar or vital statistic office in the area where the deceased lived.[11]
I’m glad that you mention how it’s important to know the funeral arrangements you want, such as burial services or cremation. Once you know this and other requirements, such as where you want the burial, it might help to start research funeral homes in the area. Finding a local one could ensure that the services can get done quickly and you can properly remember your deceased loved one.
Make an appointment to visit those funeral homes if possible. Bring a list of questions and a friend or family member less emotionally invested in the funeral than you are. Ask the funeral home for their General Price List and have the director review it with you. You might want to see an array of urns or caskets, ask about their billing policy, or meet the staff. Do you like the facility? Does the funeral director seem helpful and trustworthy, and answer questions willingly? Is he or she sensitive to your values and cultural or religious needs? Don’t select a funeral provider unless you feel completely comfortable with the director and the premises.

Ask yourself: How important is a convenient location? Do you prefer proximity to your home, place of worship, or cemetery? Is price a critical factor? How flexible is your budget? If you or your family used a funeral firm in the past, how satisfied were you? Do you have special religious or cultural requirements? If you want a viewing or service, will you need a large facility with ample parking, high-tech video screens, or handicap-accessibility? Or is simplicity your first priority? 

Make an appointment to visit those funeral homes if possible. Bring a list of questions and a friend or family member less emotionally invested in the funeral than you are. Ask the funeral home for their General Price List and have the director review it with you. You might want to see an array of urns or caskets, ask about their billing policy, or meet the staff. Do you like the facility? Does the funeral director seem helpful and trustworthy, and answer questions willingly? Is he or she sensitive to your values and cultural or religious needs? Don’t select a funeral provider unless you feel completely comfortable with the director and the premises.
Your first meeting with a funeral director (sometimes referred to as an "arrangement conference") can take place in person—either at the funeral home or at your own home—or over the phone. This initial meeting is an opportunity for you to ask questions, learn more about the services offered by the funeral home, and get a general sense of what the funeral home in question is like. The funeral director should be friendly, courteous, well-informed and compassionate. You may have many questions and requests, and the funeral director should listen attentively and provide answers.
Please join us for a FREE Pre-planning Web seminar and learn how to secure your veteran memorial benefits on Thursday, November 12th at 10am. After attending the seminar, we will gather your information to send you a free $20 gift card to a local grocery store. Reserve your spot today by clicking the following link: https://info.funeral-preplanning.com/104496-acep-veteranswebinar-11/12/20/schoedinger
You made a great point when you mentioned that proximity could be important when choosing a funeral home. Considering what kinds of things are important to you, such as price and location, would be an important step to make when choosing a funeral home. My aunt recently passed away, so when my family plans the funeral, we’ll have to remember to weigh our priorities, as you mention.
From Google to online directories to asking friends and family members, there are many ways to find funeral homes in your area. Once you’ve determined what your criteria are for a funeral home, you can begin to make use of these resources to find potential funeral homes. Ask friends and family members about any funeral home experiences they’ve had, look at funeral homes’ websites, and search for local funeral homes using online directories. More and more, funeral homes reviews are appearing on customer review sites, such as Yelp and Angie’s List, and those might be helpful resources as well.
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