Lowmans Arizona Funeral Home

 “Planning for Life’s Certainty”

Greetings fellow Villagers!!  We pray that you are all able to handle Phoenix’s main challenge; the three months of excessive heat!  Although it is truly warm outside, we, as Arizonians, really need to count our blessings for not having to deal with the many tragedies’ that many of our other states in this great Nation, have had to deal with;  tornadoes, hurricanes, excessive rain with catastrophic flooding, displacing thousands of families, many loosing all of their personal possessions and all that they have worked for.  Thankfully, many realize that they didn’t loose their most prized possessions; their faith, families and their lives.  On the other side, there were a great number of lives that were lost, leaving loved ones desperately trying to pick up the pieces to go forward.  They ALL need our prayers and support.

As I prepare to leave for Washington State to attend my nieces wedding, I can’t help but reflect on all of the planning and preparation needed to make this event occur.  We, by nature, plan for our entry into school, our graduation, our career choices, our weddings, the growth of our families, birthday parties, class reunions, wedding and baby showers.  All of these events are possibilities in our lives, not certainties.  There are only two real “certainties” in our lives; death and taxes.  So why is it that so many of us fail to prepare for these certainties, and then, we are shocked and angry when they occur?  Is it because we haven’t planned for them?  Or is it simply because these are the two main things in our lives we don’t want to deal with.  My guess is that it is the latter.

We have had the privilege of serving so many families in our place of business for the past 15 years.  The biggest heartbreak for us, next to the loss of a loved one that you or we have experienced, is the fact that most families have failed to plan for the death of a loved one.  Why this is so heartbreaking for us, is because we see so many families struggle financially to provide for the final expenses that go hand in hand with the death of someone we love.

It costs NOTHING to ask questions and get your wishes and vital statistic information down on paper.  It also gives you the control of seeing to it that “excess” is not in the equation.  You decide whether or not you want burial or cremation.  You decide if you want a $475 or a $6,000 casket.  You decide if you want a viewing and a church service. You decide on, and control, the budget of your final expenses.  This gives not only you, but also your loved ones left behind, the peace of mind that things are being done according to your value system, keeping spending for this unwelcomed event under your control.

It has been a very busy and emotionally rewarding 15 years for us.  However, our work in educating the public of all the options available to you in the funeral industry and the changes that continue to occur in this industry is far from over.  We take great pride and have done extensive research to assist families in creating a meaningful funeral or memorial service, keeping expenses within your budget.  Once a death has occurred, emotions can, and do, run rampant which usually creates additional stress and expense at an already stressful time in our lives.

Have you put together your living will?  Have you thought about who you would use as your Durable Power of Attorney?  Do you know who will be Executor of your estate?  Have you put together your Trust?  Remember, as of January 1^st, 2011, the estate taxes for an estate in excess of $1,000,000’s now at 55%, unless you have properly done a Trust.  Have you gotten paperwork to do a “Transfer on Death” for your real estate?  How about your automobile, boats, trailers, ATV’s?

We are here to serve you, not us!  We cannot, however, force anyone into making these decisions prior to a death of a loved one.  We can only put forth the information and encourage you to “take charge” and be an active participant in what is certain; death.

Although this is not a popular subject, we need to you remember that death does not have to cost a lot of money; neglect on the other hand, can be costly.

We hope that you find this information helpful and, as always, thank you for taking the time to read our article.  As always, Bill and Ingried Lowman are available 24/7 at (602) 276-3601, toll free (877) 276-3601, fax (602) 276-1889, or e-mail us atlowmansarizonafuneralhome.com.  May God richly bless you and our great country.