Pre-planning your funeral allows your wishes to be known. We at Bittner Funeral Chapel can assist you with pre-arrangements with or without prepayment. So many personal options are available, it is best to meet with your funeral director personally to develop your plan. You can stop at the funeral chapel or we can visit with you at your home if you prefer.

Basically, there are four ways to pre-arrange a funeral: l) give funeral home of your choice the information needed for the death certificate and obituary 2) select the kind of service you want 3) select the merchandise you want and 4) set funds aside in a trust. You can choose to do one of these steps or any combination.

Some wish to have their personal information that will be required for the death certificate and as a start for developing an obituary on record with the funeral home. Sometimes, individuals do not have family members living in our community any longer and want to make sure we have contact names and phone numbers. Also, we have snow birds or vacationers who feel more comfortable getting some of the basics lined up before they leave on their trip.

Others may wish to decide on the kind of service, music, readings and if not previously arranged select cemetery spaces. We have some families who wish to actually select the casket,urn or vault. Many of our caskets, urns and vaults can be customized to reflect the person’s interests as can the paper products or personalized displays. Preferences can be put on file and at that point, if you chose, a trust can be set up to fund the funeral expenses.

Cremation may be part of your plan, in which case there are authorization forms that should be completed to expedite the process. It is also a good idea to have a conversation with your immediate family members about your wishes. Wills usually aren’t accessed until after the funeral arrangements are made so it is important the family and funeral home know this at the time of death. We do have a ceremonial cremation casket available for those who want a visitation and/or funeral service prior to cremation.

Frequently, we have people who wish to deposit funds in a trust. This is a simple process and takes little time. Again, funds can be placed with or without a complete pre-arranged funeral. For those who do not have the total amount available at one time they can place sums in a trust as they can. The minimum amount would be determined by the kind of trust selected.

Veterans should have a copy of their DD214 discharge paper on file with us for flag applications, possible military honor services, government marker if wanted or benefits for which the veteran’s beneficiary may qualify. Bittner Funeral Chapel can assist with all these applications in addition to insurance claims at no charge.

We like to make each funeral unique to fit the personality of the loved one and be meaningful for those left behind. We will always work to provide respectful care of the deceased and to work with you and your family on establishing the services you want.