Monthly Archives: August 2021

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How Obituaries Help with Your Grief Journey

There are many reasons why you should publish an obituary for your lost loved one, no matter if you have a memorial after a cremation service in Monroeville, PA or another kind of service. Keep reading to learn more about obituaries and why they help with grief and loss.

In the past, most local newspapers published obituaries for free as they were considered to be news stories. These older obituaries mostly listed facts and kept the emotional editorializing to a minimum. Many newspapers also printed death notices which, unlike obituaries, were paid advertisements that gave the name of the deceased, the date, and the time and location of funeral services.

These days, however, most newspapers charge fees for printing obituaries. While these fees can be expensive, they do mean that the purchaser has the power to write whatever he wished about his deceased loved one, be it emotional or fact-based. There are lots of reasons why it’s worth it to pay the fee or take the trouble to post an obituary on a free website, including:

  • Part of the Grieving Process – Remembrance is a big part of grieving. In other words, when you spend time thinking about a lost loved one by narrating that person’s history and remembering why that the deceased was important to you, you are showing and experiencing your grief in a healthy way and will ultimately help you move forward in your particular grief journey.
  • Paying Tribute – Each person on this planet has a unique life story as special as they are. While we can easily assume that the deceased lived and died, an obituary gives a window into how they lived and why they were important and special. Beyond the basic facts of life like date of birth, age date of death, survivors, and predecessors, an obituary can include other fun and unique information about a person including their hobbies, favorite foods, work history and amazing accomplishments.
  • Sharing the Loss – Sharing in your grief and loss with the general community can be a big help after the death of a loved one. You’d be surprised how many people will reach out with helpful offers like condolences, prayers and general help. As a bonus, obituaries that are posted online almost always have comment sections in which people can post and share their own experiences with the deceased and words of comfort.
  • Notating History – An obituary is also a good way to make sure the deceased’s story is written down for future generations. Children, grandchildren, cousins, aunts and uncles will all be able to access a part of their personal history.

There are some funeral homes that post obituaries on their websites for free or for a small fee. Ask your funeral home or funeral director about their policy regarding this new tradition. You can also post an obituary on a memorial website like Legacy.com or post an obituary on Facebook or another social media site for free if you want the benefits but don’t have it in the budget.

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Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc. is a Monroeville, PA cremation service provider that can help with obituaries and other funeral needs.

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Who to Notify After a Death

There is a lot to do after someone dies, from dealing with tricky finances to planning a service at a funeral home in Monroeville, PA. This to-do list also includes notifying organizations, people and businesses of the death, as credit cards, utilities, government programs and other institutions needs to know when someone passes away. Make sure you don’t miss any important institutions or people on this list of who to notify after a death:

  1. Social Security Administration – Luckily, Social Security will be notified automatically when you file the death certificate.
  2. Employer – Contact the deceased’s employer to notify them of the death and to learn about any applicable death benefits, retirement funds, or life insurance. Have a copy of the death certificate ready when you call.
  3. Insurance – Notify all the insurance companies with which the deceased had policies. Each company will have specific steps you will need to follow.
  4. Taxes – Death doesn’t mean the deceased doesn’t have to pay taxes for that year. A survivor will have to file the deceased’s taxes or will have to hire an accountant to do it for them.
  5. Retirement Fund or Pension – Be ready with the deceased’s Social Security number, identification number, date of birth and date of death, along with a death certificate when you call to notify the fund. Don’t forget to ask if a surviving spouse is eligible for continued benefits.
  6. Medicare and Medicaid – Similar to the SSA, these organizations will be notified automatically.
  7. Loans and Credit Cards – The Credit Card Act of 2009 mandates that all credit card companies respond to final bill requests in a timely manner and prohibits them from charging late fees during the processing time. Pay back loans from the deceased’s estate.
  8. Credit Reporting Agencies – These agencies are usually notified of a death by the estate executor or the Social Security Administration. It’s important that credit reporting agencies are notified so they can put a lock on the deceased’s credit report file in order to prevent someone from using it fraudulently.
  9. Banks – Most banks will need a copy of the death certificate to close accounts. However, it takes a lot longer than you would think to close bank accounts after a death, so don’t rely on money from a closed account to pay for a funeral or cremation.
  10. Subscriptions – Don’t forget to cancel subscriptions like gym, magazines, clubs, online content, and others. This is especially true if the subscription payments are paid automatically every month as you don’t want the deceased’s bank account to be overdrawn.
  11. Utilities and Bills – Cancel or change the name on all utility accounts, depending on if the deceased lived alone or not. Call the electricity, gas, telephone, and internet providers to make the necessary account changes. You will need a death certificate as proof.

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Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc. is here to help however we can in your time of loss, including offering more information on our Monroeville, PA funeral home services and more. Call or visit us today.

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Scams to Avoid after a Cremation Service

Unfortunately, beyond planning a lost loved one’s cremation service in Penn Township, PA the bereaved also have to be on the lookout for scams. There are plenty of unscrupulous people ready to take advantage pf the bereaved in their vulnerable state of grieving.

In general, if anyone ever contacts you over the phone claiming that you or the deceased owes money always ask for the person’s name, firm, contact number, and address. If they are legitimate, they will be willing and able to provide this information. If not, they will usually hang up. There are also many specific death-related scams you should be on the lookout for, but these are the most common:

  1. False Collection Agencies – Sadly, scammers take advantage of the bereaved by claiming to be collection agencies after a debt that the deceased owed for a credit card or other kind of outstanding balance. The scammers will contact the bereaved by phone and will sometimes even take the time to send fake invoices addressed to the deceased indicating an overdue balance. Always seek legal advice before paying an outstanding debt or balance as the bereaved might not be responsible for paying it after the death of a loved one.
  2. IRS Scams – Some scammers will call the bereaved claiming to be the IRS and stating that the deceased owed money on taxes. Sometimes the scammer will threaten the bereaved with legal action if they don’t pay. This scam can be avoided because the IRS will never demand payment or threaten legal action over the phone. The IRS only communicates via written statements through the mail. You can follow up with the IRS to determine a call’s legitimacy.
  3. Medicare Scams – Some scammers will email or call the bereaved to say that the deceased’s Medicare insurance card needs to be updated and will ask the bereaved to provide the deceased’s birth date and social security number with the hope of stealing the deceased’s identity. But it’s important to keep in mind that the federal government will never attempt to get personal information over the phone, so any phone call asking about this info is a scam.
  4. Fake Life Insurance – Sometimes the bereaved will receive a phone call or email saying that the deceased had a life insurance policy but he or she was behind on payments. The scammer will say that in order for the bereaved to get the insurance payout they will have to pay the overdue premium payments, and then the scammer will provide a wire transfer account or prepaid debit card for the bereaved to pay the “premium payments”. You can avoid this scam as a real insurance company will never ask you to give payments or personal information over the phone.

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You have to be ready for scammers after the death of a loved one. Do you want more information on avoiding these scams and Penn Township, PA cremation services? Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc. is here to assist you in any way we can. Call or visit us today.

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Green Burials and Funeral Homes

A green burial, sometimes referred to as a natural burial, is a kind of burial that seeks to have as little negative impact on the environment as possible. You should look into funeral homes that offer green burials if you’re choosing a funeral home in Penn Township, PA and have certain desires when it comes to protecting the environment.

In order for a burial to be labeled green a burial must take the following into consideration: conservation of natural resources, protection of industry workers’ health, preservation of the environment. They help protect the environment, industry workers, and natural resources with green cemeteries, no embalming, and green caskets.

There are green cemeteries, sometimes called natural burial grounds, that require all bodies be buried in green caskets or burial shrouds. They have these policies in place to help maintain the surrounding natural habitat and landscape, protect local groundwater, and maintain a safe environment for local plants and animals. Conventional cemeteries, on the other hand, often use herbicides to maintain the landscaping, outer burial containers that prevent natural decomposition, and allow embalmed bodies to be buried. Embalming is when a body is partially preserved using harsh chemicals. Embalming is harmful for both the planet and industry workers. Embalming fluid contains known carcinogens, making it unsafe for the industry workers that are frequently exposed to it. These chemicals can also harm fragile ecosystems when buried in the ground.

Green caskets, unlike conventional caskets, are made from sustainably sourced materials used in sustainable production methods. Also, green caskets are completely biodegradable, meaning that they will decompose fully and won’t add toxins to the surrounding soil as they decompose. Conventional caskets, on the other hand, usually take a very long time to decompose if they decompose at all. Plus, many are made with potentially toxic materials and chemicals that can hard the surrounding soil. There are also green casket companies that are considered “fair trade”, meaning the people making the caskets are employed in safe environments and receive a fair wage for their work.

Why would you want a green burial? By choosing a green burial you are choosing to lessen your personal environmental impact, or carbon footprint. More and more people are beginning to worry about the impact humanity is having on the planet and are therefore looking into ways they can do their part to protect the environment. Other people might choose to do a green burial because they view it as a return to the traditional way of body disposition from back before the commercialization of the funeral industry. Still others choose green burials because they follow certain religious traditions. Judaism, for example, requires burial traditions that are in line with green burial practices.

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Want to do your part? That’s where green burials come in. Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc.is a Penn Township, PA funeral home. Stop by or visit us today to learn more about green burials and what we can do for you in your time of loss.