Information and support – a community service

People plan for different milestones in their lives, including birthdays, weddings, holidays and retirement, so planning for the final goodbye makes just as much sense.

It can take a big shift in thinking and a certain amount of courage to consider and acknowledge the importance of documenting thoughts with a funeral director.

However, there is a growing number of people who approach this in the same way they approach organising their will, executors, powers of attorney and advanced care directives.

“Pre-planning our funeral care alongside the other legal matters relating to our passing can be an easier approach – while we are in this space, deal with all the important decisions,” Tuckers Funeral and Bereavement Service’s Alyson Burchell said.

“It’s the knowledge we are easing the stress on our loved ones which motivates us to do this.”

Not so many years ago, funerals were heavily guided by a person’s religious persuasion – the church and its customs taking great care of the decisions a family would make when arranging a funeral.

Alyson said it is now a world where there are more people not as connected to a particular church or religious group, leaving the decision of what their funeral might entail very open to interpretation.

“In this instance, we ask ourselves, do we want our family to make our funeral decisions or is this something we should help them with?”

Some of the big decisions families must make when arranging a funeral from scratch are:

• Cremation or burial
• A private service or not
• Should the coffin be present for the service or is a memorial service a better option, and
• Should a wedding ring be left with their loved one or returned to the family.

“If there has been no pre-planning these decisions are answered at the time of need when perhaps our loved ones are not in the strongest emotional space to make these decisions,” Alyson said.

There are many funeral planning products available today and it’s difficult to know where to start.

Guardian Plan pre-paid specialist Sue Marshman said a Guardian Plan Prepaid Funeral Plan was a secure investment that not only took care of the decision making but also dealt with the financial cost.

Tuckers Funeral and Bereavement Service is proud of its history and vision to continue to provide information and support to the local community.

Alyson Burchell and Sue Marshman are available to answer any questions relating to funeral matters and care.

Both experienced funeral directors, they serve the local community passionately, ensuring every person who reaches out for information leaves feeling fully informed.

For further information on prepaid funerals, phone Sue on 0461 468 334 and for general planning enquiries, phone Alyson on 5221 4788.