Obituaries

Cathy Raab
B: 1948-03-09
D: 2019-02-27
View Details
Raab, Cathy
Doris Gagnor
B: 1929-11-03
D: 2019-02-17
View Details
Gagnor, Doris
Mary Brownfield
B: 1925-08-31
D: 2019-02-10
View Details
Brownfield, Mary
Katherine Dohm
B: 1919-05-08
D: 2019-02-08
View Details
Dohm, Katherine
Lynn Eichen
B: 1949-04-05
D: 2019-02-05
View Details
Eichen, Lynn
James Kelsey
B: 1951-05-16
D: 2019-02-04
View Details
Kelsey, James
Clara Eichen
B: 1949-12-10
D: 2019-01-23
View Details
Eichen, Clara
Michael Eller
B: 1962-03-19
D: 2019-01-14
View Details
Eller, Michael
Bonnie Frazier
B: 1941-01-07
D: 2019-01-09
View Details
Frazier, Bonnie
Ruby Hopper
B: 1928-03-14
D: 2019-01-07
View Details
Hopper, Ruby
Evelyn Hughes
B: 1930-11-06
D: 2018-12-13
View Details
Hughes, Evelyn
Rita Mack
B: 1921-06-28
D: 2018-12-11
View Details
Mack, Rita
Arthur Thompson
B: 1923-05-25
D: 2018-11-29
View Details
Thompson, Arthur
Bonnie Renfrow
D: 2018-11-28
View Details
Renfrow, Bonnie
Donna Boatman
B: 1940-09-22
D: 2018-11-21
View Details
Boatman, Donna
Dale Cannedy
B: 1929-09-10
D: 2018-10-28
View Details
Cannedy, Dale
Christopher Reiher
B: 1971-09-17
D: 2018-10-18
View Details
Reiher, Christopher
Doris Denby
B: 1935-12-08
D: 2018-09-02
View Details
Denby, Doris
Alfredia Gotcher
B: 1935-11-12
D: 2018-08-18
View Details
Gotcher, Alfredia
Henry Hurst
B: 1938-03-03
D: 2018-08-11
View Details
Hurst, Henry
James Hill
B: 1929-10-30
D: 2018-08-08
View Details
Hill, James

Search

Use the form above to find your loved one. You can search using the name of your loved one, or any family name for current or past services entrusted to our firm.

Click here to view all obituaries
Search Obituaries
212 E. Main Street.
CARLINVILLE, IL 62626
Phone: 217-854-3157
Fax: 217-854-2733

Immediate Need

If you have immediate need of our services, we're available for you 24 hours a day.

Order Flowers

Offer a gift of comfort and beauty to a family suffering from loss.

Pre-Arrangement

A gift to your family, sparing them hard decisions at an emotional time.

Obituaries & Tributes

It is not always possible to pay respects in person, so we hope that this small token will help.

Looking At Funeral Expenses

It’s no surprise: lots of families in our area come to us fearing that the cost of making funeral arrangements–whether the plan includes a traditional funeral, or a simple memorial service– will place a financial burden on them. That’s why we’d like to address the subject of funeral expenses here, opening the door to a later, more personal conversation with you. If you’re ready to chat about funeral expenses, we invite you to contact us today. 

The General Price List Details Funeral Expenses

Every funeral home is required by the Federal Trade Commission to provide consumers with a copy of the firm’s GPL, or General Price List as soon as

It's one of the basic tenets of the Funeral Rule; a set of strict guidelines developed by the FTC to govern the business practices of funeral homes across the country--and protect consumers. The GPL is a complete list of “all the items and services the home offers, and the cost of each one." If this document is not all inclusive, the funeral home must also provide consumers with a separate Casket Price List and Outer Burial Container Price List. (Source: FTC) Unfortunately, it’s sometimes difficult for consumers to navigate through all the details found in any of these documents; this is why it’s our practice to sit down with a family to review them together.

The Major Funeral Expenses

What you’ll pay a funeral home will largely depend on your cremation/burial decision; but your final funeral expenses will also include the services and products you select during the arrangement conference, such as memorial folders, a newspaper obituary, or any post-service reception costs.

The major funeral expenses include the cost of cremation; or if you’ve selected traditional burial in a cemetery, additional major expenses will include the cost of a casket, burial plot and headstone. But no matter what, there’s one funeral expense you will always be required to pay: the Basic Services Fee.

It covers the professional services of the funeral home staff to compensate for the time spent in the arrangement conference and in funeral planning; obtaining copies of the death certificate and preparing applications for the required permits, caring for the physical remains (commonly called "sheltering"), and coordinating arrangements with any third-party providers, such as crematories or cemeteries. You will always pay the funeral firm’s Basic Services Fee. On the webpage simply titled "Statistics" the National Funeral Directors Association detailed the 2014 median costs for an adult funeral, putting the nationwide average Basic Services Fee at $2,000.00.

Many firms charge far less than that; please call us for the details of our firm’s charges. (According to the FTC Funeral Rule, we are required to give you price information on the telephone if you ask for it. And you don’t have to give us any of your contact details–your name, email or physical address, or telephone number first.)

Additional Funeral Expenses

There are also “cash advance items” for things like flowers, musicians, clergy or celebrant honorariums, as well as the fees charged by newspapers for the publication of the obituary. You should know a funeral home is allowed to place a surcharge on their services in obtaining these cash advance items; but if this is the firm’s practice, the Funeral Rule requires full disclosure in writing, “although it doesn't require them to specify the amount of their markup. The Rule also requires funeral providers to tell you if there are refunds, discounts, or rebates from the supplier on any cash advance item.” (Source: FTC)

The FTC also requires funeral firm’s to provide a customer with a written statement of your selections, “after you decide what you want, and before you pay.” This document must detail exactly what you are buying and the cost of each item, and the total cost immediately after you make funeral arrangements.” (Source: FTC)  

Let’s Have a Conversation

We know you have concerns about funeral expenses, and we’d like the opportunity to address them face-to-face. We believe part of our work lies in education: it’s our job to explain available end-of-life options (cremation and burial, for example); and it’s also our responsibility to honestly disclose and discuss funeral expenses. Interested in knowing more about funeral costs? We invite you to read our article “The Average Cost of a Funeral”. Or contact us directly. We’d be honored to hear from you.

 

Online Sources:
Editorial Staff, "The Lowdown on Funeral Costs", Kiplinger, Updated January, 2015
"The FTC Funeral Rule", Federal Trade Commission, accessed September, 2016
Federal Trade Commission, "Funeral Costs and Pricing Checklist", accessed September, 2016

Don't wait until it's too late.
Contact Us for quality funeral services.

Contact us today!