People use wills to express their wishes for their estates following their deaths. Commonly, people will use a will to describe how to disperse their assets to heirs after they die. However, it is not always practical to use a will to lay out estate plans. Describing funeral arrangements in a will is one such example.
Some individuals describe how they want their funeral to proceed and their preferred arrangements for burial. Otherwise, the state or family may arrange the funeral and burial without relying on input from the deceased. While people have the right to determine how they wish their funeral to proceed, expressing those wishes in a will could prove ineffective.
Problems with time
FindLaw explains that typically, another party will not read a last will and testament until weeks or in some cases months after the death of a testor. The problem is that funerals usually happen a short time following the death of a person. This means that family members of the deceased will usually not have access to a will until after the burial of their loved one is complete.
Leaving funeral instructions
A person should leave funeral instructions in a separate document. Generally, people give their funeral wishes to the person who will serve as the executor of their estate and possibly an attorney as well. Family members will usually receive a copy of the document. This is to help prevent disputes between family members or family members and the executor over how the funeral should proceed.
Using a designated agent
The state of Ohio helps people with their funeral arrangements by allowing individuals to designate an agent to handle their funeral. Under state law, an individual can make out a document that grants authorization to an agent to oversee the funeral and the burial. Ohio residents also may designate successors in case their primary choices do not wish to take on the responsibility of the position.
