If people's first greatest fear is public speaking than this should be a breeze besides it will be your last chance to throw a party. Planning your funeral is a gift for those you leave behind. There will be no arguments about what you wanted and no emotional baggage over concern that your wishes were not fulfilled because it will all be as plain as black and white. You'll know about costs so you can prepare and it won't be another stress for those you leave behind. Plan now to relieve loved one's pain later.
Medical items to consider
Living Will
Living Will PDF
Physicians Orders for life sustaining treatment POLST Click on your state for more information
POLST
Organ Donation
Organdonar.gov
10 myths about organ donation
LDS perspective on Organ Donation
“I Have a Question,” Ensign, Feb 1988, 50–52
I am thinking of donating some organs for transplantation. Am I wrong in wanting to do so?
Cecil O. Samuelson Jr., “I Have a Question,” Ensign, Feb. 1988, 50
Cecil O. Samuelson, Jr., regional representative and physician. Organ transplantation is one of the true medical wonders of our age. Medical science has progressed to the point that the replacement of an injured or diseased body part, such as a kidney, cornea of the eye, heart, liver, bone, bone marrow, skin, or pancreas is becoming fairly routine. Most of these tissues come from people who have arranged that they be so used following death. However, some organs—such as kidneys—can be donated to someone in need by a living family member.
As is the case with many other technological advances, questions with profound economic, ethical, moral, and religious dimensions have arisen concerning organ transplantation. And, as with many other important aspects of life, we have been counseled to study the information, make decisions, and pray for wisdom about our choices. (See D&C 9:7–9; D&C 58:26–28.)
The Church has taken no official position on organ transplants. It seems obvious, however, that organ transplantation does not affect one’s resurrection, since the organ would soon have returned to the basic elements of the earth following death anyway. Whatever happens to an organ following death, we are promised that “every limb and joint shall be restored to its body, yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost.” (Alma 40:23.)
In the meantime, tremendous blessings have come to countless thousands and their families through organ donation and replacement. Several physicians involved in transplantation have shared with me inspirational stories and letters from those who have received this special service. Families grieving from the death of a loved one have been greatly comforted by the knowledge that other lives have been saved or measurably improved through receipt of a vital organ transplant. Other families have been spared debilitating illness or death because a living family member was able to donate an organ to a loved one.
As I work with donors and recipients and witness the selfless love that is evident in this gift of life and health, I am often reminded of Peter and John’s encounter with the lame beggar as the two Apostles made their way into the temple. The lame man asked only for alms but instead was healed. To the one in need, Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee.” (Acts 3:6.)
Those who are considering donating a kidney to a loved one should find comfort in knowing that only those who meet strict criteria will be considered as donors. Because of careful screening, and because of advances in transplantation techniques, donors do not face the risk they did just a few years ago. A healthy person can donate a kidney, for example, and continue to live a normal life, sustained by the remaining kidney.
While the matter of vital organ transplantation remains a highly personal one, it deserves prayerful consideration.
Funeral Questionnaire
Vital Statistics:
Full Legal Name of the Person this Plan is For:
Date of Birth (MM/DD/YY):
Date of Death (if applicable, MM/DD/YY):
Age: Sex: Social Security Number:
Place of Birth (City and State or Country if not in USA):
Temporary Address (If applicable; Street, City, State, Zip):
Temporary Telephone Number (with area code):
Permanent Address (If applicable Street, City, State, Zip):
Permanent Telephone Number (with area code):
Do you live inside the city limits? Yes No
What is your race?
What is your nationality or ancestry?
What is your marital status?
Married Divorced Widowed Never Married
Name of Spouse (If Wife, give Maiden Name):
Your Occupation (Job title when working):
In What kind of Business or Industry?
How many years in school? How many years of College?
Father's full name:
Mother's full maiden name:
Have you ever been in the U.S. Armed Forces? Yes No
Legal Name of Next of Kin or Responsible Party:
Address of Next of Kin or Responsible Party (Street, City, State, Zip):
Telephone Numbers of Next of Kin or Responsible Party:
Home (with area code):
Work (with area code):
Mobile (with area code):
Name of family doctor:
Family doctor's Address:
Family doctor's telephone number (with area code):
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Preferred Funeral Arrangements (choices that you make):
Visitation (Calling on the Family of a loved one to offer support and sympathy)
I Prefer a Private Visitation for my Family at the Funeral Home
I Prefer a Private Visitation for my Family at my church
I Prefer a Public Visitation at the Funeral Home
I Prefer a Public Visitation at my church
During Visitation I prefer that my Casket remain closed
During Visitation I prefer that my Casket remain open
I Prefer No Visitation as I wish to be Cremated
I Prefer No Visitation but I would like a Funeral Ceremony
Vigil or Wake (a.k.a. Rosary) Service (Generally a Religious Ceremony Performed in the Evening)
Yes, I would like an Evening Vigil or Wake Service
No, I would not require a Vigil or Wake Service
Funeral Ceremony (Generally a Religious Ceremony Performed during the Day followed by the Committal at the place of Disposition)
I Prefer a Religious / Memorial Ceremony to be held at My Church
I Prefer a Religious / Memorial Ceremony to be held at the Funeral Home
I Prefer a Religious / Memorial Ceremony to be held at some Other location (detail here):
I Prefer No Religious / Memorial Ceremony
Committal / Final Disposition (This means placement in the final resting place of your choice)
I Prefer Ground Interment / Burial
I Prefer Mausoleum Entombment
I Prefer Cremation with the following disposition of my ashes:
Ground Interment of urn
Placement of urn in Niche
Private Placement of urn
Scattering of ashes
Family Fellowship after the Funeral
I Prefer a Luncheon be held at this location (enter here):
I have no Preference
I Prefer No Luncheon after my Funeral
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Veteran's Section:
No, I am not a Veteran (Skip this section)
Yes, I am a Veteran
I served my Country in the (Branch of Service):
I entered the Service on (MM/DD/YY):
I entered the Service at this location:
I left the Service on (MM/DD/YY):
I left the Service at this location:
I attained the rank of:
My service serial number is:
I have visited a V.A. Hospital and my C number is
As an eligible Veteran of this Country I request a U.S. Flag be
Draped on my Casket
Folded in a triangle by my Casket
Folded in a triangle for my Memorial Ceremony
Folded in a triangle for private presentation after funeral
I request a Government Headstone / Marker for my final resting place
Granite
Bronze
I request full Military Honors at my funeral
If I qualify, I request any V.A. Burial Allowance funds
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Details of Funeral Ceremony:
(Optional, however this may help your family to fulfill your wishes)
Theme of Ceremony:
I prefer a Religious Ceremony
I prefer a Military Funeral Ceremony
I prefer a Non Religious Ceremony
I prefer a Lodge or Club Ceremony
I prefer (detail here):
Preferred Minister
Name
Telephone Number (with area code)
Readings
Scripture passages
Special poems
Other Readings
Flowers
The flowers I like are
Instead of flowers, I prefer donations to:
Music (To be played / sung at your service)
I prefer the following popular songs
I prefer the following hymns
I prefer the following musician(s) / vocalist(s)
I prefer just background music before and after ceremony
I prefer no music
Clothing, Jewelry, Eyeglasses, Mementos and Photographs
I prefer the following clothes be used
I prefer the following Jewelry be displayed
I prefer my eyeglasses be
On
Off
I prefer the following mementos be displayed
I prefer the following photographs be displayed
I have other preferences.
Items to be removed before final disposition
Items I want to keep with me
Memorial Cards or Folders
I prefer the smaller prayer card with a poem or religious prayer on the back
I prefer the larger folder with a record of the service and poem or prayer inside
Casket Bearers
I prefer the following as my casket bearers:
Honorary Pallbearers (Optional)
I prefer the following as my honorary pallbearers:
Personal Wishes:
Funeral Questionnaire
What do you want your funeral to be like?
* Like a church meeting. Hymns only, and preach the gospel. But with a corpse.
* Touching personal stories and anecdotes that make you look awesome and righteous. Plus, bishop or SP gives a talk on church topic. Special musical number maybe.
* Personal stories that show you as a real person, warts and all, including humorous stories. Music chosen by your family.
* Similar to an Irish wake. Raucous stories. Music that you liked in life that will remind others of you. A celebration of your life for those who loved you.
* You'll be dead so what do you care? Funerals are for the living.
* No funeral.
above article w/ questions
Cremation is a custom in various parts of the world. Do Latter-day Saints practice it?
Roger R. Keller, “I Have a Question,” Ensign, Aug. 1991, 62–63
Roger R. Keller, associate professor of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University. It is true that many peoples practice cremation as a way of dealing with the bodies of their dead. It is an ancient practice.
A common philosophy in some cultures where the dead are cremated is that there is a basic opposition between the spirit and the flesh. The body is often viewed as something from which to escape. The body, it is thought, imprisons an immortal spirit, which needs to rise above the material world to realize its true destiny, or the body may be viewed as part of an illusory world. In either case, the body is sometimes considered of little significance. In some cultures, it is believed that the spirit is not released until the corpse is burned completely to ashes. In this case, fire is viewed as a purifying and liberating agent. 1
The earliest regular cremations in the Middle East seem to have been among the Hittites (c. 1740–1190 b.c.) 2 and the Philistines (c. 1200 b.c.) 3 Even so, cremation was paralleled in both civilizations by the practice of burial. However, in Hindu and Greek thought, cremation pointed to the impurity of the body. Fire was seen as the vehicle of regeneration or rebirth. 4
In Asia, the custom received wider acceptance after the Buddha was cremated. Since he set the example, many Buddhist countries such as Indochina, Korea, and Japan practice cremation. 5 (Interestingly, cremation was not popular in China, probably because of the strong Confucian influence, which emphasized respect for one’s ancestors.) In Japan, the first recorded cremation was that of the monk Dosho in a.d. 700, an example which was followed by the Empress Jito in a.d. 704, which gave imperial sanction to the practice. Even so, cremation declined in medieval Japan.
In the West, cremation was common among the Greeks and the Romans. It was the mode by which the bodies of the Caesars were destroyed. 6
Among the Jews, cremation was generally not practiced. The Mishnah forbids cremation as an act of idolatry. 7 In those rare instances when cremation did take place, it was a sign of unrighteousness (see Amos 6:10) or of punishment due a criminal. (See Lev. 20:14, Lev. 21:9; Josh. 7:25.) 8
Christianity likewise opposed cremation. This reluctance to cremate can basically be traced to the Jewish and Christian belief that when God created the body and all other things, he pronounced them “very good.” (Gen. 1:31.) The body was God’s creation and, according to Christians, it would rise with the spirit in the resurrection. Thus, to cremate it would be an act of disrespect before God.
A change occurred, however, in the latter part of the nineteenth century. The unsanitary conditions of many cemeteries in western Europe caused people to reassess the way they treated their dead. Movements recommending cremation began around 1860, and in 1884 a judicial decision legalized cremation in Britain. France legalized it in 1889, and today it is legal in more than three-fourths of the world’s nations. The reasons are widely known—cremation is hygienic, requires little land, and is appropriate to rapidly growing urban areas. 9 Today, 10 percent of the dead are cremated in the United States, 20 percent in Canada, and 60 percent in Britain. 10
Where do Latter-day Saints fit into this picture? We reaffirm the perspective that the body is good and, as a creation of God, is to be respected. But as the Church has moved into nations other than the United States, there has been recognition that cultural practices differ. Generally, Latter-day Saints in the Western world have felt that nothing should be done which is destructive to the body. That should be left to nature. Church leaders have counseled that only in unusual circumstances or where required by law should cremation take place. 11
Ultimately, after consultation with the Lord and with priesthood leaders, the family must decide what to do. If the person has been endowed, some special instructions are available for the family from local priesthood leaders. Even if a body is cremated, a funeral service may be held if the ashes are buried or deposited in a mausoleum. 12
Where there is no overriding reason to cremate, burial is still the preferred method of handling our dead. In the end, however, we should remember that the resurrection will take place by the power of God, who created the heavens and the earth. Ultimately, whether a person’s body was buried at sea, destroyed in combat or an accident, intentionally cremated, or buried in a grave, the person will be resurrected.
No clearer picture of God’s restorative powers can be found than Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones (see Ezek. 37), in which he sees the bones gathered together and clothed with sinews and flesh by the power of God. Nothing that is done to the body will in the end prevent the purpose of our Lord from being fulfilled. Our bodies and our spirits will finally be reunited in the resurrection of the dead.
1. Louis-Vincent Thomas, “Funeral Rites,” The Encyclopedia of Religion, 16 vols., ed. Mircea Eliade (New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1987), 5:457.
2. John R. Hinnells, ed., The Penguin Dictionary of Religions (New York: Penguin Books, 1984), s.v. “Hittites,” p. 150.
3. Ibid., s.v. “Philistines,” p. 252.
4. Thomas, 5:457.
5. Flora S. Kaplan, “Cremation,” The Encyclopedia Americana: U.S. Constitution Bicentennial Commemorative Edition, 21 vols. (Danbury, Conn.: Grolier, Inc., 1988), 8:171.
6. Ibid.
7. The Mishnah, trans. Herbert Danby (London: Oxford University Press, 1933), p. 437 (Abodah Zarah 1:3).
8. V. L. Reed, “Burial,” The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, 4 vols. (New York: Abingdon Press, 1962), 1:475–76.
9. Kaplan, p. 172.
10. Robert Fulton, “Cremation,” The World Book Encyclopedia, 22 vols. (Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1986), 4:904–5.
11. General Handbook of Instructions, March 1989, 1–5.
12. Ibid.
Other sites that maybe helpful
Natural Burial Directory
Green Funeral
Green Funeral Site
Cardboard casket
Pine Boxes
Biodegradable Urns
I put the fun in funeral T-shirt
LDS Funeral
LDS funeral Lunch
Articles
How to plan a life celebration
USA Today life celebrations
USA Today moving on from life naturally
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