Continuing the November speaker's theme of "Be Prepared," John "Chip" Johnson Jr., a state-licensed funeral director from the Lind Funeral Home, spoke to members of the Rotary Club of Jamestown about the importance and fine points of preparing ahead of time for inevitable but rarely predictable need for mortuary services.
Johnson, a native of Jamestown, holds a degree in mortuary science from the State University at Canton and is one of five full-time funeral directors at Lind.
Club members heard preparation can prevent unneeded strife, confusion and legal complications regarding funeral planning, especially since modern families are often widely dispersed across the country or around the world. Planning should include the closest family members and friends of an individual, if possible.
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From left, John A. (Chip) Johnson Jr., state-licensed funeral director at the Lind Funeral Home, is thanked for his presentation by Bill Tucker, president of the Rotary Club of Jamestown.,
Three focuses are imperative in funeral planning: know an individual's wishes; tell somebody close; and put it all down in writing, making sure friends, family or funeral home has a copy.
Financial stress for survivors can be lessened by pre-planning and pre-paying for all funeral needs. All services at Lind can be designed to follow the growing trend of personalized, specialized services, with pictures, selected music, videos, and testimonials and even webcasting the services for people far away.
For those people wishing to donate their remains to medical science or a university, pre-planning is essential as the medical school must agree to the donation in advance.
Final disposition choices, meaning burial or cremation, are available. After cremation, no regulations limit the way the deceased's ashes are maintained or dispersed. Johnson invited anyone interested in learning more to visit lindfuneralhome.com or call 664-3800.