Find Senior Care (City or Zip)
Join Now Log In
J
Jo123456 Asked April 2021

How to finance a funeral using life insurance?

My sister died and I am left to bury her.
I don’t know how to do this.
It does not help that her husband is schizophrenic .
I went to the funeral home and they checked that the policy is current and presumably are proceding with preparations ? We have an itemized list of services and prices, but have not signed a contract (it seems that my schizophrenic bil must sign even though I own the policy and he will not go to the funeral home.)
I went to the cemetary and this is the bad part. The woman drove us around and then took us into the office for the sales pitch. We picked a plot and she went to see if it was available.
She returned and advised us that the had a 2 person family section available that was cheaper than the original site we picked and had a bench and burial vault included. We said no.
Time to pay and I handed her the insurance policy.. Oh... she did not know I had insurance ( do most people walk in the door with $10,000 cash?).
Someone else handles insurance.
They are all gone home and you will have to come in tomorrow early (I have to care for my brother first).


Question.... Do I need to start trying to get cash to pay for my sister’s funeral?
people are here from far away, even Alaska. Will there be a funeral for them to attend? what happens?
I am so confused.

Jo123456 Apr 2021
Thanks everyone.
Apparently someone messed up with communications between the funeral home and the cemetary.
I won’t even go there. And I expect others have also learned a lesson, but it was her schizophrenic husband’s wish that she be buried there. His brother was able to get him in to sign paperwork.
I also learned that while everyone warns us to get prepaid funerals........ no one tells us that the cemetary is the expensive part !

Isthisrealyreal Apr 2021
I am sorry for your loss. May God grant you grieving mercies and strength during this difficult time.

This has nothing to do with the insurance policy vs cash. They are required by law to get permission from the legal next of kin, that is her husband.

Ask if they have a form that he can sign to give you the authority to handle the disposal of her remains or can you take the consent for burial to your BIL with a notary. He doesn't have to be present to deal with this.

I would fill the form out and bring the notary to him, making it hard for him to back out of taking responsibility to get this dealt with. I would tell him that he has to sign or his beautiful wife will be cremated by the state and flushed down the sewer, they will not hold her indefinitely dear BIL. This is what happens where I live and the family doesn't take care of business within 3 months.

Best of luck getting the paperwork signed to lay your sister to rest.

ADVERTISEMENT


AlvaDeer Apr 2021
I don't really understand this amount of money spent, myself, on someone who has died. I am all for cremation, which even with a lot of death certificates will run no more than 2,000.
As you seem to be in charge of all of this, it seems it is up to you ow whether to pay an extra 8,000 to lay your sister to rest.
You can have a celebration of life at your home for those who wish to come. Have them bring the food.
If you are paying for this funeral and making choices it is unlikely that the executor of the will will reimburse you for something they had no part in arranging. I would back out at this point and let other members of the family make these choices and take the responsibility.
Who made the decision on what funeral home to use? They can carry on with the rest of it, and arrange the billing to the executor if they are willing. What do you bet they want YOUR money up front.

JoAnn29 Apr 2021
I think Funeral Directors and Cemeteries realize that people don't have cash in hand. My Mom had a prepaid funeral Trust. This paid the funeral home directly. I am assuming you need to prove Sisters death with a Death Certificate before the insurance policy will pay out.

I think the funeral home and the cemetery will wait until the insurance pays out to receive their money. As soon as you get that Death Certificate, call the Insurance Company.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ask a Question

Subscribe to
Our Newsletter