The Process and Costs Related to Planning a Funeral 1

The Process and Costs Related to Planning a Funeral

Esmeralda Ayala

HLTHNRS348: Healthy Aging

Dr. Donald W. Berkowsky

August 12, 2022

The Process and Costs Related to Planning a Funeral 2

During my time in our Healthy Aging class I have learned a lot about the different stages

we all go through as we age. We learned about the cognitive, mental, emotional and physical

changes our bodies adhere to. All that we have been reading and learning from the modules has

made me reflect on how my parents are getting older each year. I even suggested for my mom to

go on walks so that she stays active but I know it is a little scary for her because she fell a couple

of years ago and broke her knee. These are some of the things we learned in our course material.

Even though my parents are getting older, we have never talked about planning for end of life

situations. There have been times when my father tells me and my three sisters, “The day me

and your mother are no longer here, this home will be left to all four of you.” This made me

realize that some day my parents will no longer be here and I didn’t know how to quite grasp on

to that.

Losing a loved one can take a toll on the entire family. Having to plan for the funeral can

be hard, frustrating and leave the family with a financial burden. Many people don’t like to speak

about death or even like the idea of planning for services for the day they leave this world. The

truth is that no one realizes how expensive funeral services cost until the day comes when they

have to do the arrangements for a loved one who has passed. The process and costs related to

planning a funeral made my jaw drop. According to an article from The U.S. News by Geoff

Williams, traditional funeral services can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $10,000; that is not

including other fees and merchandise. In an article from Choice Mutual by Anthony Martin, by

law mortuaries must provide their price lists upon request. Having outrageous prices, mortuaries

will suck the money out of you when it comes to basic services, merchandise and preparation.
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I’ve never realized how the process of planning a funeral would be but after speaking to a

family friend I realized it can be very frustrating. First of all you need to contact the mortuary by

phone or email to make an appointment to start the planning. I will leave the name of the

mortuary anonymous for the reason that my friend had a bad experience with the staff and

services. My friend stated they took a long time to call her back to set up the appointment and

they never even responded to her email request. While I was speaking with her about her

experience I could see how upset and frustrated she was. Seeing her like that made me think,

could she have been feeling frustrated and upset because she was mourning? Or because of how

expensive it was? Or was it really the bad service she was provided? This took me back to

module five when the readings stated the five stages of grief when the anger and depression

feelings start to hit.

Nonetheless, I felt curious after my friend’s story and I did a little digging of my own. I

decided to look up prices and came across the Garcia Mortuary web page, mind you this is not

the same mortuary my friend was speaking to me about. The Garcia Mortuary is located in the

beautiful city of Oxnard, CA. The Garcia Mortuary is family owned, it has been around since

January 18, 1978 and it was the first hispanic funeral home in Ventura County. As I looked

through their online price list, there were so many costs and fees that I didn’t even know where to

start. Just to give you an idea, I will go over some of the aspects of the planning process.

Mortuaries offer different kinds of services but the basic services which only include the host and

staff fees can cost up to $997 dollars. If you want a whole basic bundle they provide the

traditional burial service which includes the basic services I mentioned earlier, the embalming,

bathing, dressing of casket, the most inexpensive casket, use of the facility with a ceremony and
The Process and Costs Related to Planning a Funeral 4

transfer of the body will cost approximately $4,583. They also offer a traditional cremation

service which includes the same things the traditional burial covers except the body is cremated

and costs less, estimating $3,971.50. They also offer other services less costly which does not

include the viewing and ceremony which is called a direct burial or direct cremating. Keep in

mind that they also offer limo and hearse rides for about $395 to $550. Autopsy upon request

can cost $250 and refrigeration for seven days is $500. The list is endless for the different types

of services they offer.

Along with the services you must keep in mind that there is more merchandise that needs

to be purchased that is not included in basic services. For example the flowers, flower

arrangements can cost anywhere from $63 to $256 dollars. If you prefer a nicer casket they

range anywhere from $950 to $45,500 dollars. Obituaries can also be expensive, in an article

from Neptunes Society they stated that newspapers charge per line or per word costing from

$200 to $500 dollars. They do offer online obituaries at a more affordable rate of $62 and it will

be up online for more days. A memory video can be put together for the family to watch for

$175. Little things like the register book, prayer cards with the loved ones picture, all of these

just to name a few are extra expenses that add up. Any documentation, for example the death

certificate $21, burial permit $12, cemetary plots $3,580 and headstones can cost up to $2,000

dollars. It is no wonder why families end up being in a financial crisis.

Preparing for the day of the burial can also be expensive. The immediate family goes

shopping for their outfits to look their best on the day of the mass and burial. The church

celebration is an extra cost and the cemetery ceremony is another $100 dollars. Some families

will celebrate with white doves $250 or a band to say farewell to their loved ones. Unfortunately
The Process and Costs Related to Planning a Funeral 5

I was unable to retrieve the costs for a band to play at a burial. After the church and the burial

most families host a reception at a hall which can also be costly along with drinks and food for

the family. The preparation it takes to put the reception together, the type of food, drinks, tables,

chairs, table cloths and so on. The time and effort you put into it along with all of the frustration

and emotions one is going through.

Looking into the process and the cost it takes to plan a funeral made me realize all of the

energy a family puts into it despite what they are going through, with all of the pain and

suffering. Now knowing what I know about funerals, I feel like planning ahead would be the

smart thing to do for a family. Sitting down and making decisions even before that time ever

comes. By planning ahead and purchasing everything or at least the important stuff can really

relieve a family from any financial burden.

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References

Cemetery and Funeral Bureau. (2022). Customer Guide to Funeral and Cemetery Purchases.

Retrieved August 11, 2022 from

https://www.cfb.ca.gov/consumer/funeral.shtml

Garcia Mortuary Oxnard. (2019). Retrieved August 11, 2022 from

https://www.garciamortuaryoxnard.com/

Martin, Anthony. (2022, June 16). Average Funeral Costs: Typical Expenses & Tips for Saving.

Choice Mutual. Retrieved August 11, 2022 from

https://choicemutual.com/funeral-cost/

Neptunes Society. (2022). How Much Does an Obituary Cost? Retrieved August 11, 2022 from

https://www.neptunesociety.com/ask-a-funeral-director/how-much-does-an-obituary-cost

Williams, Geoff. (2019, April 30). Funeral Costs to Plan For. US News. Retrieved August 11,

2022 from

https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/saving-and-budgeting/articles/funeral-

costs-to-plan-for#:~:text=Direct%20burial%20can%20range%20from,breakdown%20of

%20the%20exact%20expenses.