>>> Welcome to "ask the specialist" tonight we ask the funeral home director on WCMU public television.

♪ Music Playing ♪ >> Hi, and welcome back to another live edition of "ask the specialist" my name is Stephanie Mills your host for the next half hour, for tonight's topic I am talking with local funeral home directors let me welcome them for you now in the studio is Taylor with Clark funeral chapel in Mt.

Pleasant and Stacy stacking with stacking funeral homes in Harrison think thank fox here.

>> Thanks for having us.

>> Yes.

>> We really appreciate it.

Before we start to dive in to our questions for our audience at home or watching us online, on Facebook, can you fell on you viewers about yourself and your area of specialty, Taylor we'll start with you.

>> I am -- I have been a licensed funeral direct for a little over nine years, went to central for some prerequisites, finished school in floor.

Been a Mount pleasant local approximate my whole life I currently work at Clark chapel and a cremation specialist at daisy hill crematory.

>> Got it, thank you, and Stacy.

>> I am Stacy stacking I own and manage stacking funeral home in Harrison I have been a licensed funeral director for 30 years and owe cone or of can't well funeral home.

>> From funeral arrangements to cremation, between the two of you, I think you'll be able to provide our viewers I think with answers to a variety of questions tonight, so that's great.

You know this, topic when we first started doing it, we were not sure about it when we actually started scheduling it a few years ago.

Probably one of those reasons it's not something that people talk about often unless, of course, you are dealing with the loss of a loved one, and in the few years that we have done this, I am always really surprised by the amount of questions we bet and how informative it is so I am really looking forward to the conversation.

For the audience tuning in right now watching at home, on TV off on Facebook live, get your question to us by calling (844)975-3343.

Big thanks to our phone volunteers standing by ready to take down your questions.

Everything that's asked is completely anonymous, so don't hesitate to pick up the phone.

You can also post your question for our Facebook page and send us a tweet at WCMU underscore the.

These topics are fueled by your calls and questions, be a part of tonight's conversation, we are here to get you some answers.

>> I will start with something rather interesting I read.

Someone I know had her husband's ashes turned in to a diamond.

I know there are more things like that happening.

Can you explain what the process is like and how might someone go about doing that in.

>> Yeah, so, a common misconception is that when you say ashes people think something light like wood ashes but human remains are actually calcium both fragments that are more the consistency of sand.

And because they are calcium, that's the derivative of what diamonds are made out of.

So you'll reach out to one of these companies online, they'll ask the funeral home to send a specific weighted amount or volume.

And they actually put them under I men pressure and heat just like the formation of any diamond and you can get kind of your own made jewelry of your loved one that way.

>> Got it.

And there are like many different forms that people are doing, I have seen like paper weights or something like that, right?

So someone can't do it themselves.

Do they have to go through a funeral home to do that or is it something they can do with the remains that they have?

>> They certainly cooled coup.

They could reach out to one of those firms and in fact, there are so many things that you could have your loved one ashes mixed with ink and tattooed in to you.

And you could have your loved ones put in to a firework.

There are websites that offer a lot of things and those family are welcome to do it on their own.

>> Sure.

>> They have to handle the ashes.

In people are not as comfortable with that and they want to us do that for them.

>> Got it.

All right.

Question for you both, what kind of advice do you have for families or people and how they can prepare in the event of a loved one, going back to it's not something that we often talk about, is there any kind of advice that help people know what to expect or how to prepare?

>> I am advocate of prearranging or pre-discussion of plans, whether a person is terminal or there is an illness or just folks wanting to reach out and have that burdensome what lifted off of their family.

I, again, I think that's an important and I encourage it and embrace it to happen.

I know that you are as well active with preplanning.

>> Yeah.

I went through the process of getting licensed for preplanning insurance funeral policy specifically.

It's such a relief even if you are just able to go in and fill out the paperwork.

>> Yes.

>> Because when we meet with a family, there is usually an hour I would say, of information gathering.

We have to do to use that information to write an obit.

Use that information to fill out a death certificate.

But if somebody can go in and fill it in and they are the person that knows that information the best.

So if you are able do it yourself, you are saving that burden on your family and that extra hour of them having to go through and make sure, oh, no, what's grandma's maiden name.

>> Sure.

>> There is just little things or dad's Social Security number.

That it's certainly -- >> Those are questions that they knew yesterday, but today when -- after the death has occurred and then they become frustrated and they become upset with themselves.

So that takes a lot of that pressure off if we can pre-talk.

>> Yeah, absolutely.

A caller tonight from lake Ann, this is probably a pretty common question also.

When they pass away they would like the children to have them cremated no frills.

About how much would that cost?

>> That's kind of an open-ended question.

>> I imagine there are options.

>> So whether it's -- and we can touch base on cremation society or we can touch base on funeral home.

>> I think it's good to go over both and address the differences between them too.

>> So I will -- if you want me to do it I'll start on the funeral home side you do the cremation side.

>> Sound good.

>> If they want a direct cremation the prices can depend on obituaries they can skew prices immensely.

Death certificates.

Permit fees in the county of death.

But in the ballpark a direct cremation at my facility will be from $1,300.

We can say to $1,600 if the family wants to make burial in the cemetery after the cremation that's going to change the fee.

We also look at direct cremation with the availability of having a memorial serve Wisconsin a celebration of life as well as a visitation and funeral service starting down going up for four or $5,000 on average depending on what type of service they want with the cremation.

>> Got it.

Okay.

>> And then in regards to when families reach out to online services, cremation societies or online cremation firms, a lot of times those, you can't go through a crematory.

So like I work at daisy hill crematory.

You couldn't call us directly.

And ask for us to take care of the crematory.

You have to have a licensed funeral director and home involves even though I am licensed in there.

My license isn't attached to that firm.

You are contact a funeral entity.

But they cut out a lot of optional charges.

And become an a la carte service.

A lot of ties they are around 995 and up.

Depending on demographic or regional area where you are.

But what they have is if someone passes away on a weekend, and they are at a facility, then if they send staff after hours on a weekend or even at night, they have a charge.

Because they are employing someone after their normal hours.

Or if you pass away at home, then they pull another staff member with them, so they have that additional charge for that other staff that will come.

>> I see.

>> So those are not necessarily elective, those are circumstantial charges, but other things might be like if they want the firm to go to The county courthouse and pick -- or county clerk and pick up the death certificates to for you.

Often there is a charge for that.

Now, the funeral home will include those services.

So it gives a family an option that if you think you want to kind of take the reins and do those services, you are able do that and save that money.

But if you wanted kind of the firm to do those things, and shortcut some of those questionable components, then it saves some families some question.

And we both get calls after the from families that say we didn't get this or felt like we should have had this.

And if you went through that firm, then they don't offer those.

But, you know, we can do that, but, again, you should have kind of gone through us if that's what you were asking for.

>> Make sure you know what you are signing up for.

>> Yeah.

>> If you do decide to through an online.

>> Correct.

>> Yeah.

>> And even as far as the firms will do life insurances and veterans and obituaries and web posting things that are optional with the online on are creation society because we do that automatically.

>> They are funding you for your time you are spending time typing up the obituary, receiving out to insurance agencies and the veteran as fairs, scheduling military honors.

But, you know, with online services they are taking away a lot of the office hours to save the family money.

But the family can elect to pay for those services otherwise.

>> Sure.

It doesn't seem as personable.

>> It isn't.

It isn't necessarily that way, but it's also still providing a service for families that mate not have the economic means.

>> Sure, absolutely.

>> Correct.

>> Next call, our funeral -- are funeral directors required by law to show a written price list when quote a funeral?

>> Yes.

Until it's a phone and we have to refer to the generic price list.

We include in every service a copy off our general price list if somebody comes in and asks for a price list we give them to one as well.

>> Got it.

>> Funeral homes have their general price list on the website.

People might think we are hiding our pricing, we are not necessarily.

If you call us up and want to go through -- >> Each -- >> Kind of prices.

It's sometimes hard over the phone.

>> Right.

>> Because like you mentioned earlier there is what's called these third party or cash advance options, where we pay the newspaper for your obit.

But depending on the length of our obit the newspaper charges us we don't know the amount.

>> I see.

>> If you run something in the Detroit paper it might be $600.

On whereas a local Paper is 150.

>> OH.

>> So those are prices we have no control over and they skew the funeral price by a lot.

>> Those papers that don't have a set fee we always encourage the family and tell them you'll see a praise from this range to this range.

We email the obituary to that newspaper and ask for a quote before approved.

Reach back out to the family to get their approval or disapproval of it.

>> So there could be some back and forth too.

>> Uh-huh.

>> A question from social media are there laws and regulations regarding someone building their own coffin?

>> No.

>> There are not laws but there are specific measurements.

>> Okay.

>> We want to make sure it fits in the vault and that's that concrete gray box that the CASKET is placed?

>> Caller from Midland want to know if I died in Michigan but wanted to be buried in Indiana, what's the protocol for that?

>> If the funeral home is not a dual licensed holding funeral home.

We will be able to take care of paper wok, documentation.

We reach out to that funeral roam in Indiana, if burial is there we reach out to them their licensed to be at the same tear toy witness that burial.

But if they were going a funeral home in Indiana at that point then that funeral home would be brought in to pick up and handle things.

>> I will ask the next question because I am sure that they are connected.

Then the follow-up would it be cheaper to have the services done in Michigan versus maybe in Indiana.

>> Like state by state the prices are different?

>> He I think so.

>> It's also about if you are in a big steer or smaller city.

I think the prices could vary within a state just as much as outside of a state.

>> As well as I would like to extend on that and say if a funeral home in Michigan is involved for a visitation and a funeral service and then the family wants to do the same in Indiana, they are going to have a lot more cost because they are now going to involve a second funeral home that has professional service fees where they may want to do something in each two states.

>> We come and pick the decedent up from the home and transfer them to a firm in Indiana or pick them up and do all the services but then transfer just for the burial.

>> And high their funeral director to witness the burial service.

>> Gotcha.

Okay.

All right.

Next question tonight, when a homeless person passes away, who helps pay for the funeral expenses?

Is there a special place that they can be buried?

I am not sure if that's something that you have worked with.

>> We have -- we would call unclaimed perhaps.

>> Okay.

>> And the State of Michigan would somewhat compensate for that.

I think different counties, usually the medical examiner that have county take over the unclaimed person or the homeless person if family cannot be locate in a reasonable amount of time.

If that homeless person was a veteran, and veterans discharge papers can be found, they are entitled and honorably discharged they are entitled to be placed at great lakes cemetery in Holly as well as in battle creek at the other veterans cemetery in[>> okay.

That's interesting.

>> Often what ends up happening is if like I mate get a phone call from the medical examiner saying I have a John Doe who has passed away and we are in attempts to reach out to family at this time.

Unaware that there is any so he might be an unclaimed body would you be willing to take care of a cremation, they often do go about the route of cremation for them because it's more economical on the county's end and they only pay us a certain amount and they are asking us to do a favor as they do a favor for the decedent.

Usually their remains are mass buried in a vault in a grave and then all of that is kept track of.

So if family came counsel the road and said, you know, my uncle passed away a few years ago and we want The county took over his cremation, We would be able to obtain the ashes for the family but there will be costs involved because they have to reimburse the county for the experiences.

>> Okay.

But there is a way.

>> There is an option to get those remains back.

>> Okay.

>> That's interesting, going back to the veteran, what is the processor actually, let's back it up.

How much would it cost for a veteran to be buried in military December tear?

>> There is no cost.

>> No cost?

>> The cemetery or the government provides in the military cemeteries the burial vault in chosen to be earth buried.

Cremation to be buried in earth or in to a crypt or a wall.

As well as they provide the marker, the monument, the wall plaque.

And those are all free of charge to the veteran.

>> Got it.

>> Even if they are not buried in the cemetery they are en entire go ahead to the bronze mark the military plaque they take the DD14 along with the death certificate and apply for one of those and usually a funeral home say mediator there we go through the process of having that placed.

>> I imagine they can plan ahead with that.

A.

>> Yes.

>> What would be the process?

>> As far as placement of the veteran's December tear any.

>> Yes.

>> They can preregister.

>> I see.

>> There is still some planning afterwards.

I try to inform my veterans that the military discharge the DD14 papers if I can those on file prior to death occurring we can get a jump start on those event happening.

It's a lot of time consumed because you have to go through federal V.A.

and federal approves and then they contact the local cemetery and you schedule with them.

>> Gotcha.

>> They are taxed right now and they are over -- >> There is certainly some backlog an example if somebody were to have the discharge rank that They want to be buried in Arlington, their bare yells are probably eight months out.

So if you did get -- I am not sure exactly the off the top of my head the level in the military the rank to be buried there, but there is a potential that they have to be held somewhere in holding until that burial could be arranged which could be months out.

>> And even local, I know earth burial traditional, they take a precedence to accommodate that to happen but cremated remains we have seen it anywhere from two weeks to a month to schedule that vents.

>> Okay.

That's interesting.

Caller from Davison tonight want to know do funeral directors notify Social Security of the death?

Do they also notify GMUAW pension?

How does that all work?

>> Yes We can notify Social Security.

>> Yes to Social Security.

>> If there is a spouse or a dependent child once a death certificate is procured and given to the family, they then also have to reach out to Social Security.

For further benefits to discuss that package.

General motors, Chrysler, Ford motor company, when we reach out to them, we notify them of the passing but they give us very little information.

Mainly toll start the life insurance process.

We are informed they will contact within six to 10 days the beneficiary.

>> Okay.

>> We are given about that much information.

So once -- and we tell our family, once you receive the packet, bring it in to the funeral home and we will then pick up and help you complete that.

As far as the retirement portion of what benefits they are going to get as a spouse, again, we start that process but the spouse has to, again, communicate with one of the big three's retirement departments.

>> We have about seven minutes left.

I have about a bunch of questions here.

>> Rattle them off.

>> I will try to get through them as quickly as -- you know, as much as possible.

So this one is interesting.

Caller from Coleman how do you go about donating your body to science?

>> There is a -- either you can prequalify for this in a way.

Death circumstances can disqualify you from that.

Michigan U of M has a body donation kind of website you can look up.

And then they'll go through that whole application process and you can do that on your own.

>> Okay.

>> As well as MSU.

>> And MSU has the same process.

>> Got it.

>> It's not a guarantee, though, if they prequalify it's not a guarantee at death.

>> No.

>> Okay.

All right.

So not guaranteed.

Who has the records for cemetery burial locations and how would someone go about finding someone who has already been buried?

>> That specific December terry and if it's privately owned.

>> You need information.

>> It's a township, they will.

The city will.

Yeah.

It's kind of whoever is -- >> Or if they know the funeral home that care today that person those records should be on file as well as far as the description, yes.

>> Okay.

Caller from Livingston county tonight since most cemeteries have high water tables what precautions are taken to keep the water out of the casket and vault?

That's the first question and then what type of casket vault and soil are best to prevent water from entering and what are the costs?

>> There is not a guarantee.

>> Not necessarily a guarantee.

You can spur kind of a higher end vault that Has gasketted sealed component.

And same with a casket.

You can buy a sealing casket they are made out of met Sol that will eventually bio degrade being he is exposed to the want elements the vault has a sealing component but the warranty is not indefinite.

There are vehicles driven over it and it could crack overtime.

And there could be often cemeteries with high water tables some have the water pump run to go drain the plot until we bet to the cemetery they shut it off.

We take care of the burial and the vault lid is placed on just before hopefully the water tame rises again.

It's all cemetery by cemetery in.

>> Sandy ground is the best.

>> All right.

>> If I am having a family member cremated do they have to be embalmed first.

>> If there is a public visitation yes, need to be.

>> El bammed.

Statue says it must take place within 48 hours after death.

That is a gray area.

We are at the mercy of dock the doctors and medical examiners if documents don't get signed in a 48 hour period do we do the embalming, no, the family has to pay for that much no if doesn't have to there no public visitation, there is a gray area time I don't sit in my funeral home saying 48 hours is up, turn the clock and go.

>> Sure.

Back to the military cemetery.

Can of a spouse buried with you in the military same Terry.

>> Yes.

>> I love this one too.

Like at Arlington you don't get to pick your plot.

It's a trench they dig along the way, and the person is placed there you are buried deeper and leave a spot on top for the spouse.

Now you are also entitled that if you are a veteran and you have earned those rights, if let's say I was say veteran and my wife passes first I can go about the process of having her buried in that cemetery and me to go there after.

>> Oh, okay.

>> Yes.

Your spouse is -- you are not going to be separated.

Now your churn you wouldn't be able to have them.

>> That's different.

>> Yeah.

>> Already.

That's really good to know.

Caller from Frankfurt has it ever been done where a body, we don't have much time left.

But has it ever been done where a body is moved from Illinois to Michigan after it was buried in Illinois?

>> Yes.

>> Yes.

>> All right.

What is the tip Al amount of ashes left after a cremation?

>> That depends -- that depends on the skeletal -- >> Density.

>> And size of the skeletal frame.

Determines how many cremated remains you returned.

>> Yeah.

And like if somebody passed away from bone cancer, whether it be over production or under production of kind of their bone sense dense at this they could up with more or less on average I would say between five and 10 pounds of remains.

So it is a heavier am.

>> It is.

>> Yep.

And then most unrs their interior dimensions are 200 cubic inches.

Families just like a casket you could build your own URN.

And so you can fit all the ashes in there.

>> All right, our half hour was up.

Thank you both for being here.

>> Thank you for the honor.

>> Absolutely.

Thank you everyone at home?

Your questions and thanks for phone operators for helping answer the phones.

I know you are really busy, so, again, thank you for taking time to be here.

We hope you join us again next week guest host Mike coming in to ask the CPAs that's a wrap for us very a good night.

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