Holiday Grief

Grief counseling is one of the cremation services offered in Cleveland Heights, OH. You may be dreading the holidays because your loved one has recently died, and you cannot bear the thought of them not being there to enjoy them with you. Perhaps your loved one died several years ago, but when the holidays come around, you find that you are filled with grief because they are not the same without them.

Grief during the holiday season is not uncommon. It does not matter whether you just lost a loved one or a loved one who has been gone for a long time. That is because you have strong memories of the traditions you and your loved one shared that have either changed or that you do not do at all anymore.

While it is normal to feel sad because your loved one is gone and not able to share holiday traditions with you, there are some things that you can do to help alleviate a full onslaught of overwhelming grief because of their absence.

One thing you can do is to do something for a charity or a group they were passionate about. Perhaps your loved one volunteered for organizations that help feed and clothe people in need. You could volunteer your time to help out if one of those organizations is serving meals to people. Additionally, you could go through your clothes and put a bag together to donate to one of the organizations.

Another thing that you can do to help with holiday grief is to write a letter to your loved one. Update them on the latest news from your family, your neighborhood, and from your community. This is talking to them in writing and it can help you to, perhaps, even talk about your own feelings and how much you and the rest of the family miss them.

Sharing a meal with others that includes your loved one’s favorite foods is another great way to help deal with holiday grief. Ask everyone to pitch in with the cooking. Use disposable plates, cups, and dinnerware, so there’s minimal cleanup and you can all enjoy the time.

Put on music that your loved one liked. Share memories of your loved one that remind everyone how much they mean and how much they were loved. There may be tears, and that is okay, but the odds are that there will also be laughter.

Journaling is another way to deal with holiday grief. Unlike writing a newsy letter to your loved one to keep them abreast of what has happened since they have been gone, journaling is a private writing exercise that allows you to talk from the heart.

No one will read this journal except you. Sentences do not have to be grammatically perfect. In fact, you do not have to write in complete sentences at all. You might just write words that express emotions you have, and then find that words flow from seeing those emotions written down on paper.

You can journal using a pen and notebook or you can journal using the computer. Choose the method that works best to allow you to concentrate. Choose a quiet time of the day when you know that there will be no other demands on your time. Do it every day, and you may find that you actually look forward to journaling because it helps with grief.

For more information about grief counseling and cremation services in Cleveland Heights, OH, or Funeral Home in Cleveland OH our compassionate and experienced team at E. F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home is here to help you.

Dressing Your Loved One for a Viewing

When people are planning funerals at funeral homes in Cleveland Heights, OH, one of the events they often choose to have is a viewing. A viewing gives people who want to offer their condolences to the grieving family an opportunity to also pay their respects to the person who has died.

So, the question arises as to how you should dress your loved one for viewing. One of the things that you want to consider is what outfit your loved one would want to be dressed in. But, choosing an outfit for your loved one does not have to be an ordeal.

Even if your loved one did not leave a preference for what they wanted to be dressed in for their funeral, it will be easy for you to determine what they will wear by using a few simple tips.

The easiest tip to follow is to consider what your loved one would have chosen to wear for their viewing. For example, if your loved one liked casual clothes and seldom if ever, dressed up, then you will probably want to dress them in a casual outfit.

This outfit might be jeans and a T-shirt. It might be a casual button-down shirt and casual pants or a casual dress or a casual blouse and leggings.

If your loved one liked to dress up, then you will want to dress them in clothes that are not casual. For men, that might mean a suit and tie. For women, that might mean a dress or a business suit.

Consider as well whether your loved one was a flashy dresser or whether they were a modest dresser. If your loved one was a flashy dresser, then you will want to dress them in bright colors that reflect how they dressed when they were alive. However, if your loved one was a modest dresser, then you will want to pick clothing that is in alignment with how they dressed when they were alive.

Some people are avid followers of a particular sports team. Their closets may be full of gear with their favorite sports team’s colors and logos. If your loved one wore their favorite sports team’s clothing all the time, then it would be entirely appropriate to use that clothing for their viewing.

Another factor in choosing what your loved one will wear for their viewing is religious considerations. While most religions do not have any specific requirements for funeral clothing, some religious faiths, such as Islam and Hinduism, have guidelines for what clothing is appropriate for viewing and burial.

Another thing that many people do when they’re dressing their loved one for viewing is included jewelry, such as wedding and engagement rings and watches, and eyeglasses, if their loved one wore eyeglasses when they were alive. Some people also bring special personal items to lay in the casket with their loved ones.

Whether you decide to do this for the viewing of your loved one is a matter of doing what you think is best and what best represents them as they lived. Any jewelry, eyeglasses, or personal items that you bring for the viewing will be returned to you, at your request, by the funeral home.

The bottom line is that the way you dress your loved one for their viewing should be the way they dressed when they were alive. We all have clothing preferences and those should be reflected even in death.

If you’d like to learn more about viewings at funeral homes in Cleveland Heights, OH or Funeral Home in Cleveland OH, our compassionate and experienced team at E. F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home is here to help.

What are Simple Cremation Services?

If you are planning cremation services in Bedford, OH, you have a few different options available to you. One of those options is simple – also known as direct – cremation services. Here is a guide to what simple cremation services are so that you can make an informed planning choice.

A simple cremation is a cremation that happens without any type of service. Some people decide that they do not want a funeral service (before cremation) and they do not want a memorial service (after cremation) at all. They simply want to be cremated after they die without any type of service to memorialize them.

While many people like – and need – the comfort, support, and closure that a service that remembers the person who has died, more people are opting for simple cremations. There are several reasons why you might decide on a simple cremation.

One reason that people might choose a simple cremation is that it is a cost-effective option. When loved ones die, they often do not want to burden their families with additional financial responsibilities, so they choose simple cremation services.

Another reason why people might decide to have a simple cremation is that they know how much extra stress their grieving families will have if they plan a funeral service or memorial service. Therefore, a simple cremation eliminates an additional emotional burden for the family to carry as they are grieving the loss of a loved one.

So, what are the steps in a simple cremation?

Many of them are the same as with any other type of funeral arrangement.

The funeral home will transport your loved one to the funeral home after they die. You will meet with the funeral director to make the arrangements for the simple cremation. When you come to the funeral home, you will need to bring the following documents with you:

Your loved one’s Social Security card
Your loved one’s birth certificate
Your loved one’s marriage certificate (or divorce decree, if applicable)

The funeral director will need these to get your loved one’s death certificate completed.

If you or your loved one have already written an obituary that you want the funeral home to publish on their website, you should bring that with you as well. If you have an electronic version of your loved one’s obituary and a picture of them, you will probably be able to email that to the funeral home. The funeral director can give you guidelines on how to do this.

If you or your loved one have not written an obituary, then the funeral home will help you write one. Be sure not to include too much detail about specific addresses or vital information in the obituary, so your loved one is not targeted for potential identity theft.

The funeral home will notify Social Security of your loved one’s death, so you will not have to worry about doing that yourself. If your loved one was receiving Social Security benefits, you need to be aware that if those benefits are paid a month behind.

For example, June’s Social Security benefits are paid in July. If your loved one lived the entire month of June, then those benefits stay in your loved one’s account. However, if your loved one died July 29, then the benefits for August will either not be paid or they will be withdrawn if they are paid.

The final step of a simple cremation is the cremation itself. After the cremation, your loved one’s cremation remains will be put into a cremation container and returned to you by the funeral home.

For more information about bereavement left simple cremation services at E. F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home is here to help.

Interesting Facts About Funeral Homes

You probably do not think much about funeral homes in Bedford, OH on a regular basis. The odds are good that you drive past one or more funeral homes every day when you go to work, when you run errands, and when you go to church.

But you will probably not think much about funeral homes until you need one. When you decide to start pre-planning your own funeral or you have a loved one who dies, funeral homes will be at the center of your thinking and attention.

Here are some interesting facts you may not know about funeral homes.

Within the United States, there are over 20,000 funeral homes in operation. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), almost three million Americans died in 2018, so you can see that funeral homes are always very busy serving the needs of both deceased Americans and their families.

While the overall number of funeral homes operating in the United States has decreased in the past two decades, the funeral homes that remain have experienced funeral professionals who are dedicated to providing the best service to everyone who comes through their doors in their time of need.

While many American businesses are owned by huge and impersonal corporations that tend to offer one-size-fits-all services, the majority of funeral homes in the United States are privately owned and many are family-owned.

This is an advantage because it enables funeral homes to customize and personalize their services to accommodate the wishes and desires that people have when they are planning their own funerals or the funerals of their loved ones.

Most funeral homes in the United States have a small number of full-time employees. On average, American funeral homes typically have two or three full-time employees and three or four part-time employees. Some of the people you see at the funeral home may be volunteers who simply want to help out the community and be of service to other people.

Having a small number of employees – many who have been there for a long time – in a funeral home actually offers a couple of advantages to the families they serve.

The first advantage is that long-term deep and personal relationships can be developed within the community, and family members who have lost loved ones can count on seeing familiar and comforting faces when they need the funeral home’s services.

The second advantage is that if family members need to speak to a certain person in the funeral home, they do not get the runaround or they do not have to worry that the person they spoke to last week does not work there this week.

This makes the funeral home a bedrock of consistent and stable support within the community, and it gives people confidence, because of their experience with the funeral home, to recommend them to other friends and family members.

Funeral homes, on average, handle about 113 funeral service requests a year. That equals one request about every 3 ¼ days (funeral homes don’t close on national holidays or weekends). The advantage that this offers to families is that they have the devoted attention of the funeral home in providing funeral services for their loved ones.

Funeral homes have incorporated many new services, including cremation services, streaming or virtual video services, and tribute video production services, to name a few, into what they can offer families who are seeking their help when their loved ones die. This enables them to enhance the heart and soul of their profession – taking care of families and their loved ones – to meet modern requirements that are standard in everyday life in America.

If you’d like to learn more about funeral homes in Bedford, OH, or Funeral Home in Cleveland OH our compassionate and experienced team at E. F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home is here to help.

Helping Someone Who is Grieving

After cremation services in Bedford Heights, OH, the family members and friends of the deceased will begin to experience the full weight of grieving over their loss. Most of us want to help, but some people will not do anything because they are afraid they will say or do the wrong thing and that will make the pain worse.

You may be tempted to do this when someone you know is grieving. However, not doing anything at all to reach out and help people you care about when they’re grieving creates a different kind of pain that is in its own league.

Instead of turning away from your grieving friend or family member, there are some tangible things that you can do to help them as they journey through the grieving process.

One way you can help someone who is grieving is by offering specific things that you can do for them. Too often, people who are grieving get generalized comments like, “I’m here if you need anything,” or “let me know what you need.”

The problem with these well-meaning statements is that people who are grieving don’t know what they need, and because the offers aren’t specific if a need arises, they don’t know if the person who offered is still available or willing to help them.

Instead, what you can do is make specific offers to your grieving family member or friend that they can easily answer just as specifically. These might include offers such as:

“I’m at the grocery store. Is there anything I can pick up for you?”

“I have tomorrow afternoon free. Would you like some company?”

“Can I come by Sunday and help you with _______________ (yardwork, housecleaning, paperwork, etc.)?”

Another way that you can help someone who is grieving is by feeding them. Grief is a strong emotional response that saps energy, even for things that are required to sustain life, such as eating and drinking.

Your grieving family member or friend may not feel hungry, or they may not be able to summon up the energy to prepare food for themselves. One of their greatest needs is nourishment, and you – and others, if you decide to create a meal train where people provide food a few times a week for a month or so – can easily make sure they have that available.

Make feeding your grieving family member or friend easy on them by providing staple foods (chicken and beef with vegetables or in casseroles that are not exotic or spicy), drinks (be sure to include bottled water), fruits, and cereals.

Instead of ringing the doorbell and coming in with the food when you deliver it, simply leave it at the front door and text them to let them know it’s there (be sure to let them know if there is food that needs to be refrigerated or frozen right away). By doing this, you can be assured that you’re not coming in at a time when your family member or friend is not emotionally up to having company.

Don’t forget to keep up contact on a regular basis with someone who is grieving. It’s natural to have a flurry of emails, text messages, and phone calls in the days after a loved one dies, but as people drift back to their normal routines, the person who is grieving is forgotten.

Try to touch base at least once a week. Let your grieving friend know you’re thinking about them and that you haven’t disappeared.

For information about cremation services in Bedford Heights, OH, or Funeral Home in Cleveland OH our compassionate and experienced team at E. F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home is here to help you.

How to Avoid Funeral Planning Mistakes

Planning funerals at funeral homes in Bedford Heights, OH is something many people are unfamiliar with because we don’t plan funerals until our loved one dies. The process of planning a funeral can leave you confused, overwhelmed, and exhausted because so many decisions need to be made so quickly.

When you choose a trusted funeral home to help guide you through the funeral planning process, you can make sure that you avoid some of the most common mistakes that people make when they are planning a funeral.

One common funeral planning mistake is not asking questions. When you’re planning your loved one’s funeral, you are in a state of shock and numbness because death creates a chemical response in the brain that protects you from the blunt blow of the loss.

However, this “fog of grief,” as it is known, can keep you from asking important questions when you’re making funeral arrangements. Therefore, you should take another family member or a trusted friend with you to the funeral home and be willing to let them ask questions about funeral options.

Your funeral director will gladly answer any questions at any time, and they will offer invaluable advice in situations where you may not know how you want to proceed. Because of our unfamiliarity with death and funerals, we have a lot of questions we don’t know the answers to. Don’t be afraid to ask those questions or have a family member or trusted friend ask them.

Another common funeral planning mistake is thinking that the funeral rituals you are arranging are for your loved one. While there is an aspect to funeral services that pays tribute and honor to the memory of your loved one, funeral rituals are primarily for the people your loved one has left behind.

Funeral rituals give you and others an opportunity to be comforted, supported, and loved in a time of intense loss and grief. They also are designed to help you and others get closure, which is an important step in the grieving journey and the healing process after a loved one dies.

Therefore, even though planning funeral services and other events can be time-consuming, they serve a vital purpose that you will not get to experience if you decide you want to skip them.

Grief is not an event with a firm beginning and a firm end. But a common funeral planning mistake is to believe that it is. The reality is that the grief you experience when your loved one dies will not be over when the funeral is over.

In fact, because of the “fog of grief” discussed earlier, you may not experience the full expression of your grief until after the funeral is over. And that grief will run its course through weeks, months, and perhaps a year or two, until it mellows – but doesn’t disappear completely – into warm memories of your loved one.

The mistaken belief that grief ends with the funeral can cause people so much unnecessary pain, questioning, and sorrow for a long time because their expectations are not matching reality.

When you understand that grief is a journey, then you can better manage the ups and downs of the road before you. You can set limits on what you will and won’t do while you’re on that road.

A wise piece of advice about grief after the loss of a loved one is to not make any major decisions for at least one year after their death. That is because grief isn’t logical, rational, or objective, and you don’t want to make big any decisions you made emotionally that you will regret later.

If you’d like to learn more about planning funerals at funeral homes in Bedford Heights, OH, our compassionate and experienced team at E. F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home is here to help.

Benefits of Funeral Preplanning

You should be thinking about the benefits of pre-planning funeral and cremation services in Cleveland Heights, OH before you die. However, although you will spend innumerable hours planning for birthday celebrations, anniversary celebrations, holiday gatherings, high school and college graduations, and weddings, you have probably not spent a lot, if any, time planning for death.

If you haven’t, you’re not alone. Most Americans don’t really want to think about death in any kind of concrete way.

Some people don’t because they have the superstitious belief that if they actually get their affairs in order and preplan their funerals, they are inviting death to come.

Other people who are sick or who are terminally ill may put of preplanning their funerals because they think it says they’re giving up on fighting their illnesses.

Neither of these things, nor the other reasons that Americans give for not thinking about death and preplanning their funerals is true, but the beliefs are strong enough that many of us push any thought of dying and death – and planning for it – as far away from us as possible.

What are the Benefits of Preplanning a Funeral?

The reality is that preplanning your funeral has a lot of benefits.

One benefit of preplanning your funeral is that you don’t leave your family with the burden of doing it when they are going through an intense emotional and challenging time.

Your family will be in shock and grieving over your death and it will be difficult for them to think rationally and make well-informed decisions. You save them this extra stress by taking care of planning your funeral in advance.

Another benefit of preplanning your funeral is that your family doesn’t have to wonder – or argue about – what kind of funeral arrangements you want. If you don’t preplan your funeral by leaving a written set of instructions for your family, then no one will truly know how to plan your funeral.

Different family members may have different ideas about what kind of funeral you should have, and the feelings about these may be so strong that disagreements and rifts occur within your family as a result. Some of these disagreements can be so intense that the rifts become permanent.

Choose the best Preplanning Funeral Services for your Family

Planning for your funeral after you die is a rush job. Although your funeral director will pull it off beautifully, smoothly, and meaningfully, your family may be so harried from the planning process that they don’t really get the benefit of funeral rituals that are designed to provide comfort and support.

When you preplan your funeral, you have the gift of time to think about your funeral and what you want to make it perfect for you and for your family. You can cover every detail of your funeral so that your family and the funeral home just have to execute your wishes.

When you preplan your funeral, one of the greatest benefits you and your family will have is peace of mind. Once you get comfortable with the reality that one day you will die and you prepare for that, then you’ve eliminated one of the biggest sources of worry that people have in their lives.

A final benefit of preplanning your funeral is that you can involve your family in the process while you’re doing it. By sharing your funeral plans, you have the chance to discuss why you chose the funeral plans you did and you can make sure that all of your immediate family knows what you want and knows what to do when you die.

For more information about preplanning cremation services in Cleveland Heights, OH, or Funeral Home in Cleveland OH our compassionate and experienced team at E. F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home is here to help.

How Funeral Homes Help Honor Military Veterans

When planning funerals at funeral homes in Cleveland Heights, OH, people may not be aware that there are special ways they can show honor to their deceased loved ones who are military veterans.

If you’re planning a funeral for your loved one who served in any branch of the armed forces, the funeral home can help you highlight their military service during the funeral service. Here’s how and what you’ll need to bring to the funeral home when you make funeral arrangements.

When you meet with the funeral director to make your loved one’s funeral plans, you should bring their military separation orders (Form DD-214) with you. The funeral director will copy this because they will need it to arrange for military honors, as well as other funeral benefits your loved one is eligible for.

All military veterans who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable are eligible for free burial or inurnment in a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national or state cemetery. Their spouses and dependent children are also eligible for free burial there as well.

The burial in a VA national or state cemetery includes a gravesite, opening and closing the grave, a grave liner for casket burial, a headstone, and free perpetual care of the grave.

The funeral director will make arrangements with the VA to coordinate the services and the burial or inurnment in a VA national or state cemetery, and the funeral home will handle all the other aspects of your loved one’s funeral.

Another funeral entitlement from the Department of Defense that is available to all military veterans (except those who were dishonorably discharged) is military honors. Military honors are typically presented at the end of your loved one’s funeral service or graveside service.

The presentation of military honors is a deeply significant ceremony. Your loved one will have an American flag draped over their casket (if the final disposition is inurnment, a military flag will be held during the service).

Members of a local National Guard unit or a local veterans organization will fold the flag in 12 folds (each fold represents an aspect of military service) and then present the folded flag to a family member.

Military honors also includes a rifle salute and the playing of “Taps” as a tribute and as a goodbye to your loved one.

If your loved one was a military veteran, but either they or you wanted to be buried in a private cemetery, the VA will still provide a grave marker or headstone at no cost. However, they do not set the grave marker or headstone, but your funeral director can help you get that done.

Another military honor for your loved one that the funeral home can help obtain is a presidential memorial certificate. The presidential memorial certificate is a gold-embossed certificate of thanks that is signed by the current president of the United State. It is something that you can frame and keep as part of your remembrance of your loved one.

Many funeral homes host special Veterans Day and Memorial Day events to honor deceased military veterans. Look for those and plan to spend some time with others who are honoring their veterans who have died.

In addition, most VA and private cemeteries have special ceremonies on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. You can check with the cemetery where your loved one is buried to find out what kind of events they have scheduled for these two national holidays that honor military veterans.

If you’d like to learn more about funeral benefits for veterans at funeral homes in Cleveland Heights, OH, or Funeral Home in Cleveland OH, our compassionate and experienced team at E. F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home is here to help.

How to Safely Offer Condolences During COVID-19

Before and after cremation services in Bedford, OH, one of the things that have dramatically changed during the COVID-19 pandemic is our ability to offer our condolences and support to grieving families in person. Many people have either had to postpone services or they’ve held small private services with just immediate family members.

While this is necessary to be as physically safe as possible during a health crisis, the need for comfort and support by bereaved families hasn’t changed. In fact, because of the restrictions in place, families who have lost loved ones may feel even more isolated and alone than they would typically after a loved one’s death.

So, what can you do to help someone you know who has lost a loved one during the COVID-19 pandemic and how can you do it safely?

One thing that has been a blessing during COVID-19 is technology. You have many ways that you can maintain regular and consistent contact with someone who is grieving the death of a loved one.

You can call. You can text. You can email. You can do virtual chats. All of this lets the grieving person know that you care about them, that they are not alone, and that you want to help them.

If you have the technology to virtually chat with someone who has lost a loved one, that is a great way to establish a close, physical connection with them because you can see them and they can see you.

Another way to offer consolation to someone who has had a loved one die is by posting a memorial tribute on the funeral home’s website. You can express your sympathy there, you can share stories and memories of their loved ones, and you can even upload photos of their loved ones.

These memorial tributes can be very comforting for someone who is grieving over their loved one’s death and it can let them know that their loved one was special and cared about.

As technology has advanced over the last several decades, we have virtually abandoned old fashioned card and letter writing. But, to give your consolation to someone who is bereaved, it is worth your time and money to buy a sympathy card, write a meaningful note in it, and mail it to them.

If you can’t get out to buy a sympathy card, Legacy has a nice collection of sympathy cards that you can mail for a very small fee. You simply pick the card you want to send and type your condolence message and the recipient’s mailing address, and the card will be sent to them via the U.S. Postal Service.

Another way to express your condolences to someone who has lost a loved one is to make a memorial donation in their loved one’s name. Many obituaries will list specific places where donations can be made, while others will simply ask that you make a donation to the charity of your choice.

When you make the donation, the deceased’s family will receive notification that you made a contribution to the charity in their loved one’s name.

Flowers are a traditional funeral ritual, so even if you can’t be there in person to offer your sympathy, you can always send a nice flower arrangement or plant to the home of the bereaved family. Plants are nice because they will last much longer than cut flowers, but a gesture with either one lets the grieving family know you’re thinking of them.

For information about cremation services in Bedford, OH, or Funeral Home in Cleveland OH, our compassionate and experienced team at E. F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home is here to help you.

Responsibilities of Estate Personal Representatives

After funerals at funeral homes in Bedford, OH, personal representatives are responsible for handling the estates of their deceased loved ones. If you’ve been named as the personal representative for your loved one’s estate, you may not know exactly what responsibilities you have in that role. This guide should help.

Being the personal representative for your loved one’s estate means that your loved one trusted you enough to handle their final affairs. However, being an estate personal representative can be a time intensive and difficult assignment for you to carry out.

Estate personal representatives are responsible for paying their deceased loved one’s debts, taxes (if owed), and other creditors from the estate assets. After these are paid, the estate personal representative then distributes the rest of the state according to the deceased loved one’s wishes.

While this sounds like it is straightforward, much of this may require doing a lot of research, filling out a lot of paperwork, and keeping up with deadlines. You, as the estate personal representative, may have to deal with family disputes during the process. It’s a lot to ask of somebody, but your deceased loved one knew you could do it.

So, what do you need to know about your responsibilities as an estate personal representative?

The first thing you’ll need to do is locate and safeguard all the estate’s probate assets. Probate assets are anything in the estate that was owned solely by your deceased loved one. Examples might be a business, a vehicle, or a piece of property.

Anything that your deceased loved one owned jointly with someone else will is not part of the probate estate. For example, if your loved one owned a house with their spouse or they owned a business with someone else, the house or business passes on to the surviving joint owner.

The same is true with joint financial accounts (checking, savings, etc.) and life insurance and retirement or investment accounts that have designated beneficiaries.

Anything that is a probate asset must be appraised for its value as of the date your loved one died. You will need a professional appraiser (real estate agent for the property and certified public accountant for a business) to determine the value. For financial accounts that were solely held by your deceased loved one, you will need to obtain current bank statements.

You will also need to identify all your deceased loved one’s creditors and pay off the debts owed to them. Typically, a notice of death published in a local newspaper will satisfy this obligation since it serves as a notice of death and creditors can then make claims against the estate.

Hopefully, your loved one left a list of creditors to whom they owed money, and this process will be relatively easy and straightforward.

You may need to file a final state and federal tax return for your deceased loved one. Consult with a certified professional accountant to see if this step is necessary for the estate you are representing.

As the estate personal representative, you will also need to pay any ongoing expenses for the estate. These would include things like utilities (residential) and operating expenses (business) that the estate has.

Once the debts of the estate have been paid, then the estate personal representative can distribute the rest of the assets according to the deceased loved one’s specifications.

It’s important to know that all your out-of-pocket expenses for managing and settling your deceased loved one’s estate are eligible to be reimbursed by the estate. Keep detailed records and receipts for everything you spend. You may also be entitled to a small fee (generally about 2% of the estate’s net worth) for your work as a personal representative.

If you’d like to learn more about being an estate personal representative from funeral homes in Bedford, OH, our compassionate and experienced team at E. F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home is here to help.

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What are the Benefits of Preplanning a Funeral?

Choose the best Preplanning Funeral Services for your Family