Questions and Answers

Who do I call in the event of a death?
When a death occurs in a hospital, nursing home, or at home call the funeral home that will be helping your family. They will assist you in making all the proper arrangements. 

How much does a funeral cost?
The media has given an average figure of $7,500.00 for a funeral. Does that average mean a traditional funeral which includes a casket, burial vault, and funeral home charges? Does that mean an average of traditional funeral costs and cremation costs?  The actual average is a combination of traditional funeral services and cremation type services. That information is misleading. The media does not consider cash advanced items, which in our area, normally run around $1,500.00. A funeral service, as you can see, can vary greatly in cost.

What are cash advanced items?
These are expenses that the funeral home pays on your behalf and is included on your statement of funeral goods and services. Some examples of cash advanced items include opening and closing of the grave, monument lettering, certified death certificates, coroner fees, obituary notices, flowers, music, honorarium for the clergy, and costs of a funeral meal. We take care of these payments as a service for you and your family. 

How much does a casket cost?
The price of a casket varies with its construction and its interior fabrics. It may be built of cloth covered fiberboard, metal (bronze, copper, stainless steel, or steel), or hand-crafted hardwoods. Some examples of hand-crafted hardwood are mahogany, walnut, cherry, oak, maple, pecan, and pine. The most common interior fabrics are crepe, satin, and velvet.

How much does a burial vault cost? What is it made of?
Wilbert Burial Vaults are the burial vault recommended by leading funeral directors across the nation, and selected by more families than any other brand. A Wilbert burial vault is made of high quality structural concrete. The price of a vault will depend on the weight of the vault and type of interior liner. A heavier vault uses more construction material than a lighter one. Additional strength to the vault is added in the bonded interior liners, made of high impact thermoformed plastics. Beauty and additional strength are added with interior linings of stainless steel, copper and bronze.

Do we need a burial vault?
Most cemeteries require a vault for burial. The vault makes it easier and less expensive to maintain the cemetery grounds.

Can we move a loved one from one cemetery to another after burial? 
Yes, we can make all the arrangements.

What is a death certificate?
It is the legal record of death, showing the name, social security number, date, time, place, cause of death, and other items. A certified copy is required for life insurance, banking institutions, investment companies, other death benefits, and for probate (transferring property to the survivors). We will obtain the death certificates for you.

Is embalming required?
Under some circumstances, embalming is required by law. If you select a direct cremation or immediate burial, embalming is not usually required. You must have embalming performed when you ship by common carrier. Unless the family objects to embalming on religious grounds. Then the deceased must be enclosed in a strong, tightly sealed outer case. Also, when the deceased is transferred across state lines embalming is required. Some funeral homes may require embalming for public or private viewing of the deceased.

What is the difference between a funeral and a memorial service? 
The body of the deceased is present at a funeral, for viewing, or in a closed casket. In a memorial service the body of the deceased is not present.

If we choose cremation, can we still have a visitation and a funeral? 
Yes, you can. We will arrange a funeral that will meet your needs and wishes.

If we choose cremation, can we still have a visitation, viewing, and funeral for our loved one?
Yes, you can. You can purchase a casket, cremation casket, or we offer an
oak rental casket.

If we choose cremation, do we need to buy a casket?
No, you do not. A fiberboard container, meeting the crematory requirements, is the minimum required for cremation.

What else is required for cremation?
Cremation requires written authorization from the family, a signed death certificate by the doctor, coroner, or medical examiner, and written authorization from the county coroner. Cremation may not take place until 48 hours after death. We will obtain the proper authorizations.

How long does cremation take?
The cremation process takes a total of 6 hours. Three hours for the cremation and three hours to cool the remains of the deceased.

How do we obtain Social Security death benefits?
We will submit all the necessary documents for Social Security Death Benefits.

How do we obtain Veteran death and burial benefits?
A Veteran who was honorably discharged will receive a United States flag and a marker for the grave site. We will obtain the flag for you and help you apply to Veteran Services for the marker.

How do I get in touch with Hospice Care and Hospice Hope? 
Hospice programs provide special care for someone who is terminally ill. Their goal is to keep the person as comfortable as possible, both physically and emotionally. They are also there to help family members cope with their grief, before and after the person’s death. Hospice care can be given at a home, hospital, or nursing home.

For more information about hospice care in the area call Hospice Hope at 920-294-6220.

Can I pay for my funeral ahead of time?
Yes, and many people do. You can pre-pay through an irrevocable bank funeral trust, burial life insurance policy, or irrevocable Wisconsin Funeral Trust. These monies are protected because they cannot be cashed in by the funeral home until after death has taken place. We have all the proper documents to set up a trust for you. We do not charge for this service.

Can I pre-arrange what I want for my own funeral?
Yes, you can. We will keep a confidential record of your wishes. Your wishes should include type of service, casket, cremation casket, urn, vault or urn vault, flowers, music, clergy, and many other details and requests you can discuss with us. This certainly helps the surviving family members knowing what your wishes are for your death.

Can my family ignore the wished I have made for my funeral? 
Yes, they can. It is highly unlikely they will change your wishes. They will be grateful that your wishes are known to them.

We hope we have answered some of the questions that you may have about funerals, cremations, burial, and pre-need planning. It would be a privilege to help you in any way that we can. Let us be a source of strength in your time of need.

Call us at 920-295-6631
EMail:    info@wachholzandsons.com