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Pre-planning Matters

Relieve Emotional Burden From Family The thought of dying or talking about your own funeral may be too uncomfortable or, at least, seem premature if you’re healthy. You may experience

Relieve Emotional Burden From Family

The thought of dying or talking about your own funeral may be too uncomfortable or, at least, seem premature if you’re healthy. You may experience some anxiety and sadness which is very normal. But when you think about it, making funeral arrangements now is really no different than planning for retirement. Planning can bring you peace of mind. At Roper and Sons Funeral Home in Lincoln, Nebraska, our experienced team of professionals is here to help you with the pre-planning process.

If you hope to influence various aspects of your funeral or memorial service, we encourage you to include your children and other members of your family. Making funeral arrangements ahead of time can give you and your family plenty of time to decide how to honor and celebrate your life and save them from more tough decisions at such an emotional time. There are many things to think about, such as burial or cremation, how much you plan to spend, what type of service you want, and many other details that will need to be thoughtfully considered. 

Type of Funeral Arrangement

Whether you decide to have a traditional funeral or a memorial service is up to you. Think of this as a time for family and friends to come together to grieve, share memories, and support one another. There are different types of funeral arrangements.

  • Visitation. A viewing or visitation is a non-formal time for family and friends to get together and offers an alternative for anyone who is not able to attend the funeral or memorial.
  • Funeral Service. A funeral service typically involves people gathering together and includes a casket with the deceased, whether it is open or closed. This service is performed prior to burial or cremation.
  • Memorial Service. At a memorial service, there is no casket; however, there may be a picture, flowers, or urn in place of a casket. This type of service can be scheduled at any time before or after the burial or cremation.
  • Graveside Service. A graveside service follows the funeral service, or some families have held the entire funeral service at the place of committal.​​

Costs Involved with Funeral Arrangements  

It’s completely appropriate to inquire about the costs based on goods and services involved in your funeral. Expenses can include, but are not limited to:

  • Casket or urn
  • Funeral or Memorial Service
  • Location of service other than at a funeral home
  • Final resting place
  • Flowers
  • Clergy, organist, music preferences

At Roper & Sons, a funeral director will meet with you to go over your funeral plans and provide an estimate of costs based on your requests. This can be done at the funeral home and give you and your family the opportunity to tour one of our funeral homes. We are also available to help you make arrangements via Zoom conferencing, phone, or email.

Document Your Wishes

Pre-planning your funeral is an important step. Once you and your family have discussed all of the details of the funeral, be sure to create a document with all of the information. This will help family members honor your wishes of celebrating your life when the difficult time comes. 

Don’t be afraid to include alternative ideas if for some reason your family can’t follow through with your plan exactly. Giving them the option to make last minute changes can still follow your overall plan.

The funeral directors at Roper & Sons Funeral Home in Lincoln, Nebraska will help guide you and your family through all aspects of the pre-planning process. If you are ready to get started, give us a call at 402-476-1225.

Pre-planning can bring you and your family peace of mind.


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