Steps for Planning Ahead
We understand how difficult it is to plan funeral services, so our staff is available to help you in any way that we can. Please call us and we will walk you through every step of planning, and we will offer choices to make the services just right for your family. To help you understand the process, here are some of the steps you can choose to do ahead of time:
Funeral Planning
☐ Fill out basic pre-arrangement information sheet. 15-20 minutes, no charge. This provides the basic information we need to write obituaries and fill out the death certificates. It gives us some information about the type of services you want. Click here to download the Pre-Arrangement form
☐ Fill out funeral service information sheet. 10-15 minutes, no charge. This provides information about the funeral / memorial service you would like: who should lead it, type of music, readings, etc. Click here to download the Funeral Service Information Sheet
☐ Itemize funeral goods and services. 30-60 minutes with funeral home staff, usually at the funeral home, no charge. You choose the goods and services you want, and we will create an itemized funeral bill so you can know the anticipated costs. This is an estimate only, but lets you make many of the decisions in advance, and guides us and your family as to your wishes.
☐ Pre-pay your funeral invoice. 15-30 minutes with funeral home staff. After itemizing the services you want (see previous choice), you may pay for the funeral in one lump sum, or in payments, and lock in the prices for your funeral bill. This saves your family from worrying about paying for your funeral.
Memorial Planning
☐ Choose your cemetery marker. 30-60 minutes, cost vary greatly. You may choose the type of stone or gravemarker you want, and lay out the exact design for your stone. You may wish to save the information until after the death, or have the stone cut and delivered.
☐ Plan a memory slideshow. 30-60 minutes, $95. Choose 30-70 photos to be put into a slideshow that can be played at the visitation and/or funeral. You may put sticky notes on back to indicate an order to the photos if you wish, or to label slides. You may choose to narrate the photos in your voice.
☐ Write a letter to your loved ones. No cost, time will vary greatly. You may write a letter to your spouse or children to be read and re-read after your death. It could be read publicly, or just given to those you choose after your death. We will be happy to file it with your pre-arrangement. Please put in sealed envelope with the name of the recipient on the outside.
Travis Allen Lammer of Grass Lake, Michigan, age 25, passed away Sunday, October 18, 2026. He was born July 27, 2001, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the son of Timothy Allen and Lisa Annette (Bell) Lammer.
Joanne Lawren Oesterle of Chelsea, Michigan, age 87, passed away Friday, October 16, 2026, at her home of 68 years. She was born February 21, 1939, in Illinois, the daughter of Samuel and Clara (Credi) Ghidotti.
Helen Loretta O'Brien of Chelsea, Michigan, formerly of Sylvania, Ohio, age 99, went to be with the Lord, Thursday, October 8, 2026, at the Chelsea Retirement Community. She was born February 7, 1927, in London, Kentucky, the daughter of Robert Oliver and Fanny Ellen (Bunch) McCowan.
Joann E. Fales of Dexter, Michigan, formerly of Livonia and Royal Oak, age 63, passed away Thursday, October 8, 2026, at Angela Hospice in Livonia. She was born December 18, 1962, in Livonia, Michigan, the daughter of Alex Hector and Mary S. (Kopanakis) Carayannopoulos.
Anthony Ligi Sr. of Chelsea, Michigan, formerly of Hazel Park, Clawson, Ann Arbor, and Frankfort, age 89, passed away Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at CRC Towsley Village. He was born August 31, 1937, in Jessup, Pennsylvania, the son of Albert and Elsie (Sorbelli) Ligi.
Sheila Ruth Joseph Ann Arbor, Michigan, age 88, passed away Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at Trinity Health Hospital in Ann Arbor. She was born July 24, 1938, the daughter of Earl Edwin & Ruth Marie (Striewski) Wineman.
Kathleen Elizabeth Glaser of Grass Lake, Michigan, formerly of Dexter, age 75, passed away peacefully Tuesday, September 15, 2026, with family by her side. She was born May 15, 1951, in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Theodore and Charlotte (Pawlak) Truszkowski.