I was honored to speak to the incoming District Commanders at the American Legion Department of Indiana, July 13.  One of the Commanders volunteered that he learned he could transfer the arrangements he had made for he and his wife to be cremated.  They made the arrangements before they were aware of cremation services offered by Veterans Funeral Care through the American Legion.  He was amazed that our prices on cremation services were so much less expensive.  He was very pleased to learn that Veterans Funeral Care refunds the excess amount in the trust at the time of need to the next of kin and wanted other Legionnaires to be aware of that.

 Pam is a hospice nurse and when she lost her son, Ryan to cancer, I knew it would be tough.  When Ryan died in May, 2008, she fulfilled her son’s wishes to be cremated and celebrated his life on a sunny June Sunday afternoon at Broad Ripple Park.  Seems that Pam had spent a lot of sunny afternoons with Ryan, as a child, at Broad Ripple Park and it was one of his favorite places to go.  What an appropriate place this would be to share remembrances and celebrate his life.

As I walked toward the shelter at the Park on that sunny Sunday afternoon, I could not help but put myself in Pam’s shoes and the tears started flowing.  The sounds and sites of kids playing on the swings, Frisbees flying, dogs barking and the smells of cookouts took me immediately back to the days I spent with my sons, Josh and Matt, in their younger years in a park.  Several times I turned back to the car to compose myself as I shared Pam’s grief in the loss of her son.

Ryan’s body has been cremated, but his memories will live on and were celebrated and appreciated by the huge gathering of people that attended the memorial service on that sunny day in the park.  This will always be a special remembrance of a life to me.

One meets the most interesting people at the Indianapolis 500, but this year was truly heartwarming!  Seems that the Californians sitting in front of us had traveled to yet another Indy 500 with a special purpose in mind…….to personally transport the cremated remains of their loved one to the most special place on earth, to their beloved and now departed loved one……

“My dad's name was Marshall.  My mother and step-mother, both 81, were there too.  My brother could not make it, but a friend, his daughter and son-in-law joined us. 
    The Indy 500 was Marshall's only sports interest and passion.  He listened to it on the radio from childhood until around 1970 when it was on closed circuit television in a few movie theaters for a couple of years before ABC started broadcasting it live.  He only dreamed he'd make it to the race someday.  Making it finally in 1999 was a momentous life experience, truly in his own admission making his life complete.  I likened it to his pilgrimage to Mecca. He made it to the race seven times. I am very grateful for the opportunity to make it all happen for him………and that has greatly fullfilled me.  And as hooked on the race as I already was, now I'm really, really passionate.  Dad's resting real easy.
    You may recall that we scattered Marshall inside turn two.  Do you remember that there were 8 yellows in the race?  That action occurred in turns 1, 3, 4, and the pits.  There were no crashes in turn 2.  Marshall never liked crashes, just the racing.  It was a glorious day and a terrific race.  Dad's resting real easy.”

 We recently conducted pre planned funeral services for a man that died with no living relatives.  Fortunately, the man was blessed with good friends that were looking out for his well being, even after his death.  They came in prepared for a battle over the excess funds remaining in his pre-paid funeral trust, but left every satisfied.  In his latter years expressed a preference for simpler services than when he made these arrangements years ago.  Combined with the fact that our prices were substantially lower, the amount of the refund was in the thousands of dollars.  We decided with the help of the friends to designate a couple of charities that he would support and donated the excess funds accordingly.

 It is hard to find any Indiana funeral homes that will work with medicaid.  The thing everyone needs to know is that with the right type of medicaid benefits are available.  Indiana Funeral Care accepts medicaid and will work with the families.  I will need a social security number or the medicaid number to call and check on the eligibility.  I can usually find something out that day if not the next.  If the family is eligible then we will deduct that cost from the contract and only bill for the remaining balance.   It's help towards an already low cost service. 

 When applying for veteran funeral expenses, the discharge papers or DD214 are required.  If unable to find it then we will help them request it.  All it takes is a signature from the next of kin on a request form with some information about that veteran.   We will then fax it to the veteran's administration.  They in turn will fax a copy to us.  At that point we can apply for the veteran's benefits. 

A family called today needing help.  They were using another funeral
home for the cremation of their dad and needed to know how to get in contact
of the crematory that was providing the services.  I was shocked and
told her that the funeral home that they are using should provide that
 service for her.  I ensured her that it is part of our services at no extra fee.
I went over our cheap cremation cost and provided her other options to
think about.  At the end of the conversation she was happy with the
information I gave her.  She said that I told her more information than the other funeral home had.   

Over the past several years making funeral arrangements has become easier.  Our funeral home staff will meet families at the loved one's home or even at a coffee shop just to make it easier for the family. 
Just the other day we met a family member at a resturant so they wouldn't have to be in the funeral home setting.  The family wanted to have a direct cremation with a private memorial service.   They were pleased to find a low cost service with such great value. 

 "As cheap as possible, no offense" are words that I frequently hear from families that don't have any interest in doing the traditional funeral service. Of course I'm not offended, because what works for one individual or family might not work for another. "To each their own" is a good philosophy to hold in this business.
But what defines cheap? Low cost funerals or low cost direct cremations can be done, and done with class, but Value is more important than dollars. It can be hard to put a dollar value to how a person feels when they feel as if they and their loved one have been taken care of properly. You don't have to spend an arm and a leg to be treated with dignity and respect. Simply call or visit us and you'll see why we have the word "CARE" in our name. It doesn't matter if you're seeking a discount cremation or discount funeral, or if you'd prefer 'going all out' with all the bells & whistles. Everyone gets the same loving care from us because at Indiana Funeral Care, it's our family taking care of your family.

During my travels in Indiana I have come across many different cemeteries. Some are huge, some historic, and there are some that most folks have probably forgotten even exist. One of my favorite cemeteries in Indiana is Marion National Cemetery.  I have many, many reasons why my favorite cemetery is a Veteran's Cemetery just northeast of Indianapolis-

• The grounds are beautifully kept. It doesn't matter what the season is, it is always taken care of.
• There are NO CEMETERY CHARGES for the burial of the honorably discharged veteran AND their spouse. You can still be laid to rest, with your loved one and your service to your country has reserved both of you a place at any national cemetery in the country.
• My families are always taken care of there- The dead are always treated with respect and care, and their living survivors are treated well by the cemetery staff. They are not commissioned salespeople that are friendly only to sell you something; most are also veterans serving fellow veterans.
• I love how the white upright veteran's headstones make symmetrical lines going left-right, forward-backward, and even diagonally!
•         
• The setting is beautiful and peaceful. There are no sounds of traffic or construction, only the rustling of the leaves and the serene sounds of the birds and your own footsteps.

It is an honor and privledge to be laid to rest there, and there is still a camaradarie among veterans, even in their solemn slumber. Military honors are always available, and the rank of the veteran determines which honors will be rendered. There is also an excellent VSO that supplements the honors with a 21-rifle salute and chaplain if so desired.

I have many photos of the cemetery taken during different times of the year. We'd love to share them; simply email a request to us at info@indianafuneralcare.com

Also, if you should have any questions about funerals for veterans, veteran's benefits, military honors, VA funerals, please contact us. Even though we specialize in veterans funerals, we take care of everyone.  We pride ourselves on our low cost funerals with excellent quality service in Indianapolis and throughout Indiana.

There is a family that I have been working with for a couple months.  Both grandparents are dieing and they do not want to spend a lot on their funerals or have the money to do so.  Through a search of cheap funerals Indiana and funerals for veterans, they found us.  While pre-planning the funeral with the family and talking, they decided on an immediate burial at Marion National Cemetery. 
For veterans if they decide to be buried or have their ashes buried at any National Cemetery there is no cost to the family.  The plot, opening and closing of the grave space, the vault, and grave marker are all provided by the government as long as the veteran can show proof that he was honorable discharged.
After explaining this to the family, you could actually see the relief they felt knowing that husband and wife could still have a final resting place together and it would not cost them anything.  They were then able to pick out a low cost casket and keep the funeral cost at $2500.00 for both funerals.
I left their house that day with a feeling of pride.  I was able to offer them everything they wanted and I was not taking advantage of them by charging a lot of money for something they could not afford.

I have noticed the change in funeral service.  More and more families want a cheap service, but they also want value.  Because of this, more people are thinking of cremation for themselves and loved ones.
The families we serve have told us how much they appreciate the fact they can have a memorial service with cremation and still be able to purchase an urn or jewelry. 

I had a family the other day that came in and requested services for their dad.  Dad's wishes were to be cremated and not to spend a lot of money on services.  The daughters wanted to carry out his wishes but they also needed to have some closure of their own and a direct cremation just wasn't what they wanted.  After talking to them we explained that they could have a traditional funeral, meaning a visitation and service followed by a cremation.  The daughters were very excited.  They were going to be able to carry out their fathers wishes and still have the closure that they needed all for a low cost. 
To add value to the services we had military honors arranged to be conducted at our funeral home since cremation was to follow.  With their dad having been an honorably discharged veteran we wanted to make sure he was honored for what he did for us and our country.  After the honor guard came forward and saluted their dad, two gentlemen who were there for the funeral service saluted also.  
It gave them a wonderful feeling for honoring their dad and his wishes, but still having a meaningful service for them.