If you are planning a funeral because a loved one has recently passed on, let me first extend my condolences and my hope that in some small way this funeral planning website offers some small measure of comfort.

If you're pre-planning a funeral, (for yourself, a family member or a pet), I hope the information I've collected and published here helps you to understand the funeral process, and if you save a little money purchasing a casket, urn or other funeral related expense -- all the better.

Although the death of a loved one, or your own mortality is a grave issue, (yes, that was a pun -- I intend to inject some humor into this guide), it can not be all sadness. Mourning a loss most often includes a celebration of the life which ends, and sometimes it's one funny thing the departed said or did, that you carry with you long after they're gone. If you take one thing from this guide, let it be that -- the funeral service should highlight the good in the deceased's life; the joy they brought to others, the little things that made them special, "he always had a smile", "she was always there to lend a hand", these are the things we want to be remembered for, not the sadness our passing causes.

Comedian Wil Shriner often interjects his stand-up routines with stories about family member's deaths, funerals and related topics -- I won't spoil the whole show for you, but one of the funniest funeral related lines in his routine goes something like this: