Burial

Choosing burial means choosing a place, a form of service, and a marker, usually in a few days and usually while grieving. Knowing what the decisions are makes them easier to face.

What a family decides

A funeral director will ask about the burial plot, the casket, whether there is to be a viewing, what kind of service and where, whether the grave is to be marked and with what, and who is to carry the coffin. Most of these can be settled in one conversation, and a good funeral director will say plainly what a decision costs.

Where a burial plot has already been bought, bring the deed. Where it has not, the cemetery will explain what it has and what its rules are about markers, plantings, and visiting.

What it costs

Burial is usually the more expensive choice, because it involves a plot, a casket, opening and closing the grave, and a marker. Prices vary widely between cemeteries in the same city, and a funeral home must give you a price list. Ask for it, and take it away before deciding.

Saying what you want in advance

Writing down what you want spares the people who love you from guessing. It belongs with your Will, which is where the rest of your wishes are recorded, and which is written at the LegalWills website for the country you live in.

Remembering someone afterwards

A grave is a place to visit. An online memorial is a place to gather: the story of a life, photographs, and the notes people leave, reachable by anyone who knew them, wherever they are. Creating one at PartingWishes.com is free, and it goes online as soon as you are ready.