#2:  I Don't Want To Think About It

Of course you don't!  No one wants to think about his death.  But have you ever purchased accident insurance for your car?  Fire insurance on your house?  Hospitalization or live insurance?  You certainly don't expect such tragedies to occur, yet you thought about the consequences and prepared accordingly.  Buying cemetery property is one more provision you can make for a time when your family must go on without you.

#3  My Insurance Will Take Care Of Everything    No, it won't.  No insurance policy tells your family where to  buy cemetery property, how much to pay.  Insurance only provides money, financial security for your heirs.

Your family will still be faced with decisions you could have made with them.  

If you use foolish reason #3 as an excuse, your family may make an emotion-laden decision that won't be in their best interests, and your insurance benefits may not go toward the purposes you intended--a child's education, a window's security.

#4:  I Can't Afford It Now    Cemetery property purchased at need--when a death in the family occurs--must be paid in full before interment.  That often makes a huge dent in the family's budget.  When you purchase cemetery property before there is a need, you may choose from a variety of payment plans that meet your budget.

Also, when you buy today, you pay today's prices.  Cemetery property, like everything else in the world, is affected by inflation, rising labor and maintenance costs, and the marketplace.  It's going up all the time.  Your family will pay more later, and they'll pay it all at once.

You can afford to make a pre-need purchase, and we'll help you choose a payment plan that's right for you.

#5:  My Brother/Uncle/Brother-In-Law/Friend/Lawyer Will Take Care Of Everything When The Time Comes    How fortunate you are to have close friends and family who will help your spouse make decisions when you are no longer there.  And there will be many decisions to make, many reasons for your spouse to call on the expert advice of loving friends.

But you and your spouse, together, can make this decision together, with none of the pressures that occur when there is a death in the family.  

And do you really want that trusted friend, or favorite brother-in-law, to make a decision that you can make together?

Get the facts, learn the alternatives, educate yourself--be in charge.  It's not wise to depend on other people.

#6:  I Want To Be Cremated    Probably, there's a note in your will that states your desire to be cremated.  The trouble is that wills aren't generally read until long after the funeral takes place.  Then, it's too late for your wishes to be carried out.  

And even so, what happens after the cremation?  Cremation is not disposition; it's only a method of preparing the remains for memorialization.

Are the cremated remains to be scattered?  If so, where and by whom?  Are there laws restricting this?  Or are the cremated remains to be placed in an urn?

You can guarantee that your wishes will be carried out by making pre-need arrangements.  by purchasing an urn, columbarium niche, or space in an urn garden, you've told your family that you want to be cremated.  And you've told them what you want done after the cremation.

The point is--and this isn't the first time we're making it--no matter what you choose, you're in charge.  You're the decision maker when you make your arrangements ahead of time.

#7:  My Parents Have Property    Perhaps your parents purchased family burial spaces when you were a child.  Maybe your father even told you there was room for you in the family lot.  But chances are you don't own the deed to that property.  It's possible that others in the family will use it before your family needs it.  You should find out now if there will be room for you and your spouse.  Make sure you or your spouse won't have to make an expensive time-of-death purchase of cemetery property because you thought there was room in your parents' plot.

Anyway, you may not want to be buried in that old family cemetery.  Even if there is room for you in a family lot, you may prefer a modern, well planned and well maintained cemetery like ours.

#8:  I'm Not From This Area    We live in a mobile society. The area in which you grew up may no longer be your home. It may be years between your visits to your childhood home. Does it really make sense for you to return there for burial?

And, think of the added expenses of making funeral arrangements here and transporting a body to another part of the country.

Even if you are not from this area, it may make more sense for you to make pre-need burial arrangements in the area in which you now live than in the area in which you once lived.

#9:  I Move Around A Lot And Might Not Be Living Here Next Year

The cemetery industry long ago recognized the mobility of our society, and initiated several exchange programs.  If you should move to an area more than 75 miles from your present address, and decide that you want cemetery property there, all you have to do is contact a cemetery near your new location that is a member of the exchange program and request a transfer.

#10:  A Cemetery Salesman Will Come To My House    Not really.  The only "salespeople" we employ are those who wait for you to call us after there's been a death in the family, when it's not a question of if you want to buy, but how much you need to spend.

We do have family memorial counselors who will be glad to give you information you need, information that will help you make an intelligent, unhurried decision, information that will help you make a purchase that's right for you and your family--at the right time for you.  And once again, you're in charge, you set the appointment.

#11:  I Don't Know Your Telephone Number