I never have. "In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the funeral home to defray the cost of X's funeral expenses."
This is was an elderly friend of my MIL's, not a homeless person or some poverty-stricken victim of violent crime who's been in the news. There were 23 surviving relatives listed, including two children and two brothers. The rest were grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Very sad, of course, that she didn't have enough at the end to pay for her own funeral expenses. But doesn't it seem rather tacky that such a large family is asking for help paying for it? I wonder how fancy a funeral it was. Too embarrassed to have a really simple funeral, but not too embarrassed to ask for money?
I never, never want to be in that position where someone has to ask for help paying for my funeral. I think I'd be embarrassed even if I were dead!
Have you ever seen this in an obituary?
February 22nd, 2007 at 08:03 pm
February 22nd, 2007 at 08:24 pm 1172175886
Funerals are expen$ive and perhaps the family just couldn't come up with all of the ca$h at once.
February 22nd, 2007 at 08:51 pm 1172177506
It could well be that her assets were so illiquid (house) or were part of the estate to be carved up in the will, so there's nothing left that available, or worse everyone's trying to maximize the estate by moving the costs onto the other grievers.
February 22nd, 2007 at 09:50 pm 1172181019
February 22nd, 2007 at 10:19 pm 1172182777
February 22nd, 2007 at 11:09 pm 1172185785
February 22nd, 2007 at 11:55 pm 1172188521
It amounts to the same thing, but doesn't seem as blatent.
Even though a person seems to be doing okay, financially, they may be heavily in debt, and the family who has to pay for the bill may be in the same financial condition. It is a sign of the times.
February 23rd, 2007 at 11:54 am 1172231650
If something happened to my DH it could be weeks before I had insurance money with which to pay for a funeral and the funeral home wants to be paid rather quickly, or at least has with all of the grandparents and grandparent in laws funerals I've attended. At least I have a rider on my life insurance that covers funeral costs immediately for either of my kids, heaven forbid.
February 23rd, 2007 at 01:40 pm 1172238020
I think what really amazes me is that in a family of 23 survivors, there isn't one person who was enough of a financial success, and willing enough, to jump in to save the day on this.
It does make me think about starting yet another goal account, for final expenses. Or getting some extra life insurance for DH and I, in case something happened before the goal account was large enough. We both have life insurance through work, but if we leave our jobs the policies would disappear.